Where Loyalty Lies
by giraffes92
Summary: Starfire's home planet, Tamaran, has come to Earth seeking the tools to destroy their newest enemy. The Titans are divided into two. Starfire must choose between her home world and her new home. Which will she choose? Who will she become? Will the Titans survive or will they be forever scarred?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello dear readers! Thanks again for reading my story. This idea popped into my head since Starfire never got a full story arc in the original series. I hope you enjoy it! I don't own anything Teen Titans or any of the characters. **

**Chapter 1**

_**Titans Tower **_

The dense fog crept over Jump City as the Changeling, Beast Boy himself, plowed through Doctor Light's forcefield as a rhino, blasting it to pieces. "That the best you got?" He taunted, quickly changing into his human form, blowing a raspberry. Smirking, the green (not so teen anymore) dodged into the air as a hummingbird as Doctor Light shot another energy blast his way.

A second energy blast met his with ferocious intensity. "I don't know about y'all, but I think this is getting too 'Light' hearted." Cyborg's blast from his sonic cannon matched Doctor Light's and a blast illuminated the city in a quick blast before both men were tossed aside.

Quickly, Doctor Light sprang up and growled at the newly named 'Titans'. "Insolent children-you cannot defeat Doctor Light! Let me illuminate you!" Suddenly the world went white and the team quickly hid their faces from the blast. Rubbing their eyes, the team saw spots as Doctor Light began to cackle. "Let me shed some light on the situation, shall I?"

"Okay, next person who says a light pun is getting punched." Raven snarked as she was rubbing the spots out of her eyes.

"Titans, take him down!" Robin, now called Nightwing, called aloud as the team rushed Light. Without a second thought, Robin threw himself off the hood of an 18-wheeler he was perched on just in time for Starfire to catch him. As the two rushed Light, Starfire tossing him with unimaginable speed straight into the Doctor's chest. Nightwing kicked Light in the chest and backflipped onto a dark disk that materialized underneath him. SMACK! Doctor Light's head hit the car behind him with such force, the bags of money in his hands made it rain.

"Ha-ha, hey guys, check it out! He's out like a-" Beastboy laughed, but Raven chided, "Don't say it-" "LIGHT! HAHAHAHAHA!" Everyone groaned as Cyborg picked up the villain to place him under arrest and assess for concussion as Raven punched Beastboy in the arm. "Owwwww-ah!"

Nightwing smiled at his team as the sirens began to draw near. "Nice work, Titans! Beastboy, good job with taking down Light's shield. Next time focus on staying in your animal forms to intimidate them. Raven, quick thinking with the disk. Next time maybe use your demon form to scare Light so we don't have to waste more energy."

The dark empath pulled down her hood and glared and the Boy Wonder. "Yeah, because I always want to let out my dark side and remind people I'm the daughter of a mass-murdering demon. Good plan." Nightwing chuckled nervously and turned to Cyborg. "Cyborg, you did"

"Dude, we kicked butt! In record time! How about we just celebrate with food from the Thai place downtown and call it a day?" Cyborg chided as he walked back to his teammates after handing Light over to the authorities.

"Yeah, dude. Cyborg has a point! We aren't teenagers anymore. Well, maybe Rae and I are, but just barely." Beastboy smiled at Raven, who quickly tucked some hair behind her ear.

"Speak for yourself."

Beastboy twerked his nose as he looked back at their leader. "Cy's right. Let's get some food and go home!"

"I heard that!" Cyborg high-fived the green teen while Nightwing shook his head smiling. "Alright, let's go get some food. Noodles are calling my name!" Everyone walked toward the T-car except one. Nightwing noticed Starfire was staying back, lost in thought while she gazed at the sky.

"Star? You coming?" Nightwing intertwined his fingers with hers, rubbing his thumb on the back of her hand. Starfire quickly glanced down and noticed him there. She blinked twice as if realizing where she was.

"Oh, Robin-I mean Nightwing! I am sorry, I just have…a lot on my mind." Starfire glanced back up at the sky then tugging on their intertwined hands she dragged him onward. "Yes, let's go home."

Knitting his eyebrows together, Nightwing glanced at his girlfriend as she lead the way. Her usual joy seemed gone, zapped out of existence. The past few days she had been walking more instead of her usual floating in air. She laughed less at Beastboy and Cyborg's jokes, talked less with Raven, and most of all-spent less time with him.

Clearing his throat, Nightwing asked, "So Star…Are you alright? You seem…off lately."

Starfire stopped in her tracks, not looking at him. Cyborg stood at the car about 50 meters away glaring at them, pointing at his mouth then his stomach then the car. Raising one finger, he gestured to Starfire and to wait one moment. Cyborg rolled his eyes and probably muttered something under his breath about save the make-out sessions for later.

"Starfire?"

The alien princess took a shuddering breath and looked Nightwing in the eye…err-mask. "Dick." She whispered, so no one could hear his name. Only the team and Batman knew his true identity. "There is something happening on Tamaran. It is hard, like my piece of steak in my heart." She sighed so deeply that Nightwing didn't correct her. "It is difficult, having two homes. I love my friends and Jump City and you-but my heart is also with Tamaran." Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. "They are in danger and I am not there. It is just-I cannot-There must be-"

Nightwing grasped Starfire's other hand with his and squeezed. "Star, it's okay. You miss home and feel like you should be there while being here."

Starfire smiled in relief and squeezed back, almost crushing Nightwing's hands. "Oh, you do understand! Wonderous! It is just, like Cyborg said, we beat Doctor Light so easily. There may be a way for me to go home for a while and-"

"Star! We need you here! I need…Sorry, I get it. Sorry. But we need you here too. If it gets too bad, we can call in some residual Titans to come help out." Nightwing sucked in a breath and Starfire's smile grew.

"Thank you, Dick!" She crushed him in a hug and held for a long time.

"CAN YOU GUYS HURRY IT UP?!" Cyborg waved his hands from the car and Raven and Beastboy were already buckled up in the back.

"YEAH! YEAH! We're coming." Nightwing laughed and pulled Starfire with him to the car. Just as he began to open the passenger door for her, a sonic boom ripped in the air. It was so loud, Beastboy grabbed his animal sensitive ears and whimpered.

Starfire gasped and quickly floated toward the sound. She cried out in Tamaranean and began to fly toward the ship.

"STARFIRE-WAIT!" Nightwing called after her, making her pause for a second. She didn't continue flying toward it but she also didn't look back toward him. Raven and Beastboy flew up toward her while Cyborg and Nightwing jumped on top of the car.

"Are you guys seeing this?" Beastboy asked as he dropped to the ground in his human form, staring incredulously at the sky. He looked at Cyborg and Nightwing and asked again, "Seriously. Are you guys seeing this?!"

Hanging in the sky above their heads was the biggest battle starship they had seen. It was loaded with guns every 10 meters and ports were opening to reveal flying vehicles manned by warriors in battle armor. Their bodies seemed humanoid but their faces were concealed by helmets.

"Starfire? You know these guys?" Raven questioned, pulling her hood up and hands glowing black with magic.

Starfire stared in confusion and awe, not able to speak.

"Star?" Cyborg called, sweat dripping down the flesh of his face.

The alien princess turned toward her teammates, her expression dumbfounded. She slowly looked at each of her teammates before looking back up to the ship and answering. "Yes I know them. They are-"

"PEOPLE OF EARTH!" A voice boomed as if amplified in their minds. Raven dropped to the ground covering her ears. Beastboy rushed to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. His face was scrunched in pain but he gazed up at the ship. Nightwing and Cyborg dropped down and joined them while Starfire still hung in the air. Their heads were filled with a constant static noise that resonated throughout their skulls.

Cyborg grimaced and glanced at his teammates. "They are using some form of telepathy. It must have been too much for Raven."

She took a shaky breath and opened her eyes a fracture. "I'm fine." She gave a small smile to Beastboy who returned it while slowly uncovering her ears. "They must be using some device that translates and uses telepathy to contact everyone on the planet at one."

"WE ARE NOT HERE TO HARM YOU, BUT WE WILL IF WE MUST. GIVE US ANY AND ALL OF YOUR BIOCHEMICAL WARHEADS THAT TARGET THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. YOU HAVE THREE SUN CYCLES." The static shut off as suddenly as it started and the ship slowly began to rise up in the sky.

Cyborg checked his scanner on his forearm and stated, "They are going into orbit around the Earth."

"Well, they sure get to the point." Raven stated while Beastboy helped her up from her knees. "We have three days to get them their demands."

"Which are not exactly the friendliest of terms." Nightwing added.

"Who are those guys?" Beastboy asked as Starfire quietly landed beside him.

Starfire had an uncharacteristic smile on her face as she looked him straight in the eye. "Those are my people. Tamaran has come to Earth."

**End of Chapter One. Hope you guys enjoyed it. I plan to write as quickly as possible, though I can be a bit inconsistent at times. Feel free to add criticism or any other responses! Thank you for reading and see you next time! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome back! Thank you so much for reading and following my story! I love reviews so please feel free to comment and review. Hope you enjoy this new chapter! I don't own Teen Titans or anything related to Teen Titans or their characters. **

**Chapter 1**

**Starfire's Room**

"Reports are flooding in from the mass psychic attack heard around the world. World leaders are converging to the UN Summit located in Steele City, as the one in New York is under reconstruction. Dignitaries from every nation are meeting to discuss the demands from our extraterrestrial terrorists. Stay tuned for more live coverage of 'Star Wars'.

"Off." Starfire muttered to the television screen, which followed her command and shut off instantly. The alien princess sighed and wrapped her arms around her knees. She glanced at the clock. 4:30 a.m. Sighing, Starfire flopped back onto her bed, fixating on the pictures on her ceiling. Images of Dick, Cyborg, Beastboy, Raven, Titans East, and so many other friends filled her vision. Soon, it became too blurry and Starfire blinked out the tears. "Ohhh, this is most distressful."

The Tamaranean glanced at the small disk on her bedside table. Quickly, the alien princess picked up the disk and rubbed her thumb over the hidden panel on the side. A hologram sprouted up from the disk and the face of her beloved Galfore played. "My little bumgrof, I pray to X'hal that you receive this message before it is too late." Hearing her native tongue always brought joy to Starfire's heart, yet hearing this message again made her heart break. "The Nameless Ones are too much for our forces. We have sent our legion to combat them but their technology is too strong. Please, Koriand'r, we need your help. We require technology and weapons that are foreign to these invaders. We are sending our finest troops to your Earth to request help. Know how much I love you, my little Bumgrof. Know how much we need you, now more than ever. We shall arrive-"

KNOCK KNOCK!

Starfire quickly shot up from her bed and rubbed her thumb over the holographic image rapidly. "Yes?" As the image disappeared, Starfire tossed it under her pillow.

"Hey Star. It's me." Dick's voice came through the door. "Can I come in?"

"Of course!" Glancing to make sure the disk was out of sight, Starfire quickly floated to the door and greeting Nightwing as it slid open. "Robin-Dick, why are you up so late?" Nightwing smiled weakly as he walked past her.

"You know me, Star-"

"Koriand'r."

Nightwing whipped around and gazed at Starfire. "What-"

"Call me Koriand'r. It is my name given to me at birth. My friends-my boyfriend- call me Kori." Starfire's heart began to beat rapidly in her chest. She hadn't told anyone on the team her true name. It felt foreign to her. She had gone by Starfire for so long…But, under the circumstances, it was time. It felt right. Time to accept who she was-both Tamaranean and Earthling.

"Umm…Kori…What is going on? Why are your people here? I thought you said they were in trouble! And why are you having me call you Kori?" Nightwing glanced around the tidy room, not meeting Starfire's eyes.

"Why do you have me call you Dick?"

Nightwing slowly turned around to stare at her. Starfire held a good poker face. Which was odd-she was horrible at poker. "Touché." Sighing, he closed his eyes and took of his mask, meeting his eyes with hers. "Look Star, I mean, Kori. We have to know what's going on. Why did your people attack us? Why are they here? Why do they need our weapons?"

Starfire draped her arms around her stomach and held her elbows with her hands. She gazed up at the pictures again. Her friends. Her new family. Still so alien. "Dick, my people have been at war with the Nameless Ones after many months now. On my world, it has been the equivalent of three Earth years. My people are warriors, but these Nameless Ones-X'hal…" Starfire looked down from the pictures. "Dick, would you not do anything to help your people? To help the people you love?"

"You know I would! But Star, your people came here. To Earth. Why us? Is it because of you that they came? Are we at war?"

Starfire's heart lurched like a spear had driven through her heart. "Do you think I am the cause of this? That I would be ignorant of this if that is the case? That I am no more than-than-than a…a…piece of candy that children suck on?!"

Nightwing paused and blinked. "A what?"

"A piece of candy, that one eats which induces cavities and children suck on them after they see a medical professional! You know what I mean, Dick!"

"A sucker?..."

"Yes! A piece of candy called a sucker!" Starfire blinked back tears as she glared at Nightwing. Every time it was like this. Like she wasn't good enough or smart enough. Like Dick knew everything and she knew nothing. "I do not know why my people are here but I am the crowned Princess of Tamaran. I love my people and must do my duty." She dug her fingernails into her balled-up palms to keep a straight face while lying.

"But Star, I mean Kori-you live on Earth. You have to help us!" Slowly walking up to her, Nightwing placed his hand on her shoulder. Gazing into his eyes, Starfire stifled a sniffle. _I will not cry, I will not cry, I WILL NOT CRY! _

"I…am not sure what to do. Dick, I…Earth and Tamaran are both my home. Can you not see who my heart is in two? It is like when Blackfire took my favorite bumgrof and had to choose between flying naked in front of the visiting royal family from another planet or letting her kill my favorite bumgrof. I love my sister, but she is a total clorbag barblernelk! This is like that! No matter what I choose, people will get hurt! I CANNOT decide what to do!" Sighing, Starfire sniffled and wiped her nose. Nightwing took a step back, watching her. Looking into his eyes, she realized that he didn't see it this way. Closed off, furrowed brow, lip pierced. He only saw that her people had come and threatened Earth. She tucked a piece of hair away from his face then held her hand to his cheek. "It is late, Dick. Maybe we should talk more about this later."

Nightwing grasped her hand and placed a small kiss on her palm before letting it go. "You're right. We are both tired. We'll talk more about it after some rest." As he began to walk toward to door, he placed a quick kiss on her cheek. "See you in the morning, Koriand'r."

After the door shut behind him, Starfire quickly threw herself on her bed, dissolving into tears.

**Common Room, later that morning **

"Dude, you can't be serious!"

Beastboy dropped his spoon into his cereal bowl. "You CAN'T be serious! We are going to that UN meeting in Steele City?" Starfire kept her eyes down so she couldn't betray anything. Beastboy looked between her and Nightwing incredulously.

"How did you know about the meeting in Steele City?" Cyborg asked as he slathered his waffles in butter and syrup.

"You know what the UN is?" Raven asked. Beastboy huffed and grew red as he glared at her. The corner of Raven's mouth quirked as Beastboy bristled then turned quickly away, crossing his arms across his chest.

"I know stuff!"

"Having the TV guide memorized is not 'stuff'."

"Hey!"

"Enough!" Nightwing threw his plate of eggs down on the table. He plopped down on a stool and rubbed his temple. _Obviously he did not get enough sleep. _Starfire bit her lip and watched her boyfriend compose himself. "Look guys, Starfire is going to act as a diplomat between Tamaran and Earth. The people of Earth do not know it is Tamaraneans at our doorstep yet and for our sake we should keep it that way. We are going to get it fixed and no one is getting weapons or going to invade anyone."

Starfire shifted in her seat and looked around the team. Beastboy and Cyborg were shaking their heads in doubt. Starfire glanced over at Raven and her heart leapt. Raven was studying her over her book in her hands, her frown defined. _Please, don't say anything. _Starfire implored Raven with her eyes. Whether Raven picked up on it through her gift of empathy or just took the nonverbal ques, she lowered her eyes back down into the book.

"Look, I'm with Beastboy over here. Sure, we can go to the UN meeting, but what are they going to do?" Cyborg gestured wildly into the air. "I mean, we are barely legal! BB and Raven aren't even old enough to drink yet! They won't listen to us!" Beastboy nodded vigorously while stuffing cereal into his mouth. "I know you want to help man, but the only thing we can do is go up there and talk to the Tamaraneans with Starfire."

"Koriand'r. With Kori." Nightwing corrected Cyborg, not sparing a glance to Starfire.

"Who?" Beastboy implored, glancing at Starfire. "Do you mean Starfire?"

"Why don't we let Starfire decide?" Raven stated, shutting her book and glaring at the boys. "First of all, these are her people. Second, she is the only person with political experience. And third, this is a complex situation. Who are we to decide what is going to happen?"

Heat raced toward Starfire's cheeks and she finally looked around at the boys. Beastboy was standing up at this point, gapping at Raven while trying to think of a quick comeback. Starfire could literally see the gears turning in Nightwing's mind as he processed what Raven just said. Cyborg was the first person to speak. "Okay. Maybe you have a point." He turned to Starfire and looked at her incredulously. "Starfire, what do you think we should do?"

Everyone turned to look at her. While she loved each of her friend's dearly, she suddenly had the overwhelming desire to be alone. "Ummm…" She looked at Raven, who gave a twitch of the corner of her mouth-the equivalent of an encouraging smile. Starfire took a deep breath and slowly let it out through her nose. "Raven is correct. My people are in dire need of assistance. I will do my duty to serve both Tamaran and Earth to the best of my abilities." Nightwing pensively placed a hand on his mouth. _Ohh, if only I knew what you were thinking! _"But do not fret friends! We shall go to Steele City at once and converge with our dear friends, Titans East, and go to the conference! All peace shall be restored, my friends!" Starfire's face felt like it was cracking with the smile she forced upon it. Her friends stared at her, each with a dubious look. Nightwing raised an eyebrow and frowned, causing Starfire's heart to beat a bit faster.

Breaking the awkward silence, Beastboy exclaimed, "I'll drive!" and dashed out of the room. Cyborg immediately dropped his plate and chased after the green teen. "Oh, no you don't, Grass Stain! If you lay one finger on my baby, I will-" The door swished shut and cut off their argument. Nightwing slowly got up and placed his dish in the sink. He walked up to Starfire and placed a hand on her shoulder. The quick brush of his ungloved fingers said more than he ever had to. He loved her; however, she had to do the _right _thing. As quickly as he squeezed her shoulder, he let go and followed Cyborg and Beastboy to the car.

Starfire sighed and stood up to clean her plate as well. "So, you want to go by Kori now?" SMASH! The plate in her hands dropped straight to the floor, causing Starfire to blush and quickly work to pick up the mess.

"Oh, Friend Raven, I am so sorry! I forgot you were still in the room." _I am more jittery than Beastboy around cute girls! _"I must clean this up before we go!" Black enveloped the broken shards and uneaten food then flew through the air into the trash bin.

"It's alright…Kori." Raven glided over to her and took a deep breath. Showing emotions was never a strong suit of Raven, but Starfire smiled nonetheless. "I know that Nightwing and the others have this idea that you have to side with us. That it is the only right thing to do. But…" Raven tugged at her hood but didn't bring it up. Ever since she had defeated her father, Trigon, she had strived to not hide behind it so much. Anytime she showed emotions now, Starfire could sense the urge to hide. This vulnerability was still foreign to the demon girl. "I know what it is like to have to choose between your people and your home. I would do anything to save Azarath from... Just…Don't feel like you have to choose one or the other. Earth may be your home now, but Tamaran is your home too." Raven gave Starfire a small smile and looked at the alien princess. Starfire's heart swelled. She had forgotten how Raven was from Azarath and how it was destroyed by Trigon. Raven wasn't there to help them. If anyone could understand, she could.

"OHHH, THANK YOU, FRIEND RAVEN!" Starfire caught Raven into a big hug, suppressing tears. Someone finally understood what she was going through. "Thank you for your kind words!" Starfire finally let go of Raven after swaying back and forth. Raven staggered a little, though whether from the overflow of emotions from Starfire or her alien strength, Starfire was not sure. "I have been most grieved over this dilemma. It has been making me very lobstery lately!"

Raven rubbed her arms as she and the princess began to walk toward the doors. "Don't you mean crabby?"

"Ohh…" Starfire paused, forgetting the phrase. Suddenly, Beastboy rushed out of the hallway toward the girls as a kangaroo, stopping her replay.

"Where have you guys been? We gotta go if we are going to make it to the conference on time!" Beastboy stated as he morphed back into his human form, his face less than three inches from Raven's. Jumping back, Raven's eyes turned white and a black claw pulled him by his belt two feet away from her. Beastboy yelped and fell onto his butt.

"Two words. Personal. Space." The demoness stepped over him, her cloak brushing over his head, messing up his hair.

"Sheesh, tell that to your cloak." Beastboy muttered as his cheeks reddened. He looked over at Starfire and shook his head. "What was taking you guys so long?"

Starfire smiled at the awkward interaction. It was obvious to everyone but Raven and Beastboy why they annoyed each other so. "Raven was just helping me with a problem. She is a good friend." Even though she was still nervous and feeling uncertain of what to do, Starfire liked the distraction. "She always responds well to normal human interaction."

"Uhh, what do you mean?"

Shaking her head, Starfire giggled and flew toward the car.

"Wait-is this another one of those learning lessons like with the prank with the motor oil? Starfire?!"

**Thank you again for reading! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Decided to focus more on characters first before going heavy into the plot! Each chapter will probably focus on another character's point of view. Hope you enjoyed and I will try to write again soon! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Welcome back to Where Loyalty Lies! Thank you again for reading my story! Hope you enjoyed it. Last time we left off, Starfire feels out of place and unsure of what to do in this precarious political situation between Tamaran and Earth. The Titans are now going to Steele City to attend the UN meeting for negotiations with Tamaran as well as meet up with Titans East. I don't own Teen Titans or any characters from the show. **

**Chapter 3: **

**Cyborg's P.O.V.**

Hormones. That's all there was to it. Stupid hormones. The air stunk of it. Cyborg sniffed as he glanced into the rearview mirror at Starfire. She was uncharacteristically quiet, a frown on her pretty face as she dazed out the window. Nightwing was glaring out the passenger window beside Cyborg, occasionally giving Cyborg the side-eye to say _If you talk to me, I am going to kill you with a Batarang. _

Yep. Definitely hormones. Weren't they past this already?

Cyborg sighed and glanced back at Starfire. Poor Star. She had her people there threatening to invade the Earth and what not, but it isn't her fault. She isn't the one who called the psych attack on everyone on the planet. Her eyes began to water, then quickly looked at his eyes through the reflection. Pretending he wasn't looking at his little sister crying, he adverted his eyes back to the road.

"Soooooo, how 'bout I play us a little music?" Cyborg laughed to break the tension. "Oh look, I have a mix right here.!" Leaving one hand on the wheel, Cyborg pressed the center panel of his breastplate and a disk came out of his chest.

"A CD. Really?" Raven deadpanned in the back, Cyborg could practically feel the eyeroll.

"Yeah, dude. I haven't seen a CD since I was a kid?" Beastboy chimed in, his deeper voice always surprising Cyborg.

"When was that? Yesterday?" Laughing, Cyborg heard a small giggle come from Starfire. Good, at least some of the old Star was still in there. "And Raven, it's Death Metal. You know it's your favorite."

"Please, how is metal that is deadly music?" Starfire chimed in, though her usual characteristic smile was absent from her face. _Man, that girl tries to keep everyone happy and act as if this is normal. How does she put up with Captain Brooding over there. _Nightwing was still glaring out the window, not even cracking a smile.

Glancing back at Starfire again, an entangled pair of green and pale white hands caught his eye. _WHAT THE-_Cyborg blinked and glanced back again but Beastboy was texting on his communicator with both hands while Raven had her right hand on her lap and her left palm against her face.

_I hate hormones. _

"Well, look who finally decided to show up!"

Cyborg bristled at Bumblebee's comment. Why did he like here again. "Why you have to act like that, girl?" Bumblebee just laughed while grabbing Cyborg's small duffel from his hands, as Arsenal (formally called Speedy) and Aqualad were helping the group get their bags out of the car.

"Chill out, Sparky. Just messing with you! So you guys have come for the big, bag meeting going down tomorrow?" Bumblebee gestured for Aqualad to put the bags on the couch as he opened his mouth to ask. "Look, I know something is going down with your team. What is UP with that tension?" Cyborg sparred a glance at his teammates. Nightwing and Starfire were two feet apart, Nightwing grabbing her hand but quickly letting go as she just gave a small smile in return. Beastboy was speaking Spanish with Mas and Menos, rapidly telling about…something, while Raven awkwardly dodged Arsenal's advances for conversation.

"Yeeeaaaahhh…it's hormones."

"Hormones…"

"Yeah, hormones! They are just being weird-"

Bumblebee put her hand on Cyborg's shoulder, quieting him. "Sparky, I don't know what's going on with Green Bean and Goth girl, but Starfire and Robin-sorry, I mean Nightwing-obviously have something going on."

_Noooo. He did NOT get my little sister pregnant! _Cyborg's human eye bugged out of his head, his pulse quickening. Bumblebee looked at him in confusion and quickly stated, "Whatever you're thinking, it is not that bad! It's probably because of the invaders being from Tamaran and Starfire unsure of how to act."

_Wait-what?!_

"Wait-what? How did you know about that?!" Cyborg tore his eyes from Nightwing to stare at Bumblebee. The tall warrior shrugged her shoulders, glancing back at them.

"Look, we have heard the chatter with the UN being in town. The word on the street is that they have guessed it was Tamaran since every member of the JL has denied connections to them. Superman suggested they go talk to them, but Batman evidently said that would come off as aggression and to see what comes of this UN discussion before making a move." Bumblebee unconsciously gripped her metal stingers strapped to her hips. She looked back at Cyborg, worry etched in her face. Cyborg gulped-how the heck did she get prettier since they last saw each other at the Titan's Christmas bash. "My guess is, Starfire needs to be there at the meeting, but the rest of us need to be on the lookout. My gut tells me something big is going to happen at that meeting."

Cyborg felt the circuits in his brain firing-well, more so than usual. "Uhhhh, right. Yeah. Guess we…need to fight whoever comes our way."

Bumblebee frowned and rolled her eyes. "Serious, did you hear a word I said?"

"Come on, girl! Let Star go talk, we watch for bad guys. But really, it'll be okay. You're worried for nothing! Our girl is going to finish this." Cyborg rubbed the back of his head and glanced over at Starfire. She was still subdued but smiled politely Mas and Menos continually brought her flowers and candy. "She's got this."

BBBBBBRRRRRIIIINNNNNGGGGG! Cyborg jolted awake, his systems taking a moment to reboot as he gathered his bearings. **All systems online **flashed across his mechanical eye and Cyborg yawned as he got up. Why did the meeting have to be so early? Okay, fine, it was only at 8 am, but by his body it was 5 am. Glancing at the clock, Cyborg jolted out of his charging station and ran for the door. "Crap. Crap crap crap crap."

Racing to garage, he slid into the other titans as a limo pulled up. "Alright! Right on time." His stomach rumbled as the car pulled up. "Ahh, dang."

"Here." A breakfast sandwich was shoved into his face as Raven walked by. "Figured you'd be hungry." She gifted him with a small smile before entering the limo to carry them all to the meeting.

Arsenal slid next to Cyborg, his eyebrows raised under his mask. "Dude, how did you get _her?_ I mean, what is she like?_" _He smirked and nudged Cyborg. _Eeewww, that is so wrong on so many levels. _

Suddenly, Arsenal was pushed into the car. Beastboy's fang protruded out of his frown as he glanced back at Cyborg. Cyborg raised an eyebrow. "What?" Beastboy claimed, throwing his hands in the air. "He was being crude!" Cyborg sighed and took a bite of his sandwich. They would be needing to have a chat whenever they got back home. Cyborg followed the green teen into the limo and shut the door behind him. Everyone was slightly cramped inside, knees touching and arms awkwardly situated. Aqualad was chatting up Raven, who fringed interest, which Cyborg interpreted as small pleas for help. Bumblebee and Nightwing were discussing the meeting to come, while Mas and Menos talked rapidly in Spanish to Starfire-probably hoping for a translation kiss to make things easier. Beastboy glared next to Arsenal, who was asking him about everyone's love life, which Beastboy grudgingly answered.

The ride was otherwise quiet, tension in the air. Cyborg caught Bumblebee's eye, who gestured to the alien princess. Her hands, which started out in her lap open had slowly begun bunching up the formal suit-dress she was wearing. Her hair, which had been pulled into a professional bun, was slowly coming out around her ears. Her breathing was shallow and her eyes wide and unseeing. "Uhh, Star? I mean-Kori?" Cyborg whispered to her, noticing her snap her attention to him. Everyone in the car got silent but pretended not to be paying attention. "You okay?"

"Of course! Everything is-sufficient" Starfire smiled at him but her lips twitched.

"Okay, well, we are hear for you. You got this. You're the strongest person I know!" She smiled to his words and grasped his hand. Though he couldn't feel it, he almost imagined the warmth of her hands on his.

"Thank you, Cyborg. Truly. Would you please join me while I give my speech? A familiar face will be most encouraging." _Whoa! _Cyborg glanced at Nightwing, who's mouth was taunt in a frown. She wanted him instead of Nightwing?

"How do you DO it?" Arsenal claimed as Bumblebee slapped him across the head.

The limo pulled up to entrance, journalists and paparazzi flashing cameras at every dignitary and representative in sight. Behind a barricade stood a large number of protestors, holding signs telling aliens to go away and stop the fighting. A few members of the Justice League were also there, including Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash. "Okay, so we won't stand out too much, then." Nightwing mumbled under his breath.

"Ugh, I feel like a fish out of water…" Aqualad grasped his stomach and groaned.

"Aren't you though?" Beastboy asked, earning an elbow in his ribs from Raven.

"Okay guys, calm yourselves and let's go." Bumblebee chided as the doors opened and flashes of light blinded Cyborg's human eyes. He grumbled as the team as bombarded with questions. A few voices stood out from the rest, but otherwise it was like a hive of bees buzzing inside his head. "Raven, what are you wearing?" "Bumblebee, is it true you have a bee stinger on your rear?" "Nightwing, are you currently working on the case with Batman?" "Cyborg, is it true you have alien technology implanted in your brain?"

Raven narrowed her eyes at the questions. "Why are they asking all the women trivial questions and asking the men serious ones?" Bumblebee rolled her eyes and mouthed, "Welcome to my life." Raven shook her head and continued to walk toward the building to receive instructions on where to keep lookout.

Beastboy took the reporters in stride, always the best man for publicity. "Of course, we will answer your questions later! We have really important business to attend to with the UN….Uhh, I'm not at liberty to say if Starfire has any connections with the alien threat. NO I AM NOT GAY! WHAT-" Bumblebee pulled him away to save face. _So much for him being the best with the paparazzi. _

Starfire hung back near the limo, clearly overwhelmed by the amount of attention on her. Nightwing grabbed her hand, which she quickly yanked away. _Dude, seriously, you're making her look dependent! Give her room!_ Cyborg blinked as Starfire strode past the paparazzi without batting an eye at them, Nightwing following her with his best poker face. Cyborg followed behind them, racing to the building. Finally, as the doors closed behind him, the madhouse turned into a dull roar. Superman stood in the hallway, gesturing toward a room to the left. The two teams followed him in as the doors closed behind him.

"Thank you for coming. Starfire, I especially thank you. I know how difficult this must be for you." Superman smiled wistfully at her, as if he truly understood what she was going through. Cyborg almost forgot he was also an alien.

Starfire smiled at him and shook her head. "Thank you for your kind words. I am…ready to address the council." She looked at Cyborg, who's heart began to beat against his metal chest. "Come, Friend Cyborg."

The alien princess walked out of the room without another glance behind her, obviously working up her steel. Cyborg looked back at the team and gave a half-hearted wave before racing after her, leaving them to be briefed and put into position for security.

Cyborg raced after Starfire, catching up with her. Her hands were balled into fists at her side, her eyes had a glint of determination he only saw when she was fighting the likes of Slade or Trigon. "Look, Starfire, I mean-Kori. I appreciate you asking me to be with you, but why didn't you-"

"Ask Nightwing?" She didn't miss a beat, continued walking to the back entrance of the conference building. Cyborg shrugged and grunted, "Uhh, well, yeah." Starfire smiled at the man who directed them to wait by the door as she turned to look at him. Cyborg realized how scared and unsure she was but smiled at her to make her feel better. She smiled in return, a true smile that he had not seen in a few days. "Because, Cyborg. You are the most human. True, Dick is…" She paused and thought. "He is Dick. Raven and Beastboy are not abnormal, but to me-you are the most human." She smiled and placed a hand on his cheek. "And you have always treated me as human too. Thank you. You are a true friend."

Cyborg was speechless as the security man gestured Starfire and him forward. He didn't have words to say. Human? Him? He looked at himself, then at the alien princess standing at the podium. He followed her and stood behind her as she began to speak.

"Good morning, citizens of Earth. Thank you for giving me your time. You have had fear and worry over this threat. Today, I am here to calm that fear and implore you to make a decision best for all peoples-human and alien alike."

_Whoa! Listen to our girl go! _Cyborg's heart swelled in pride. Starfire seemed natural on the stand, delivering reassurances to the people. Many of you know me as a member of the Titans, Starfire. Many of you also know that there has what seems to be a threat toward the people of Earth. I am here to ask you to work with these visitors to find a peaceful solution."

Cyborg noticed many of the representative whispering to one another, some snickering at Starfire. Anger raced in his veins. Seriously, this girl was showing decorum behind most of their capabilities. What did they have over the alien princess? Suddenly, shouts were heard outside, and the dull roar of the protestors outside began to reach their ears. A couple of security men slipped outside, while the rest blustered up. Starfire paused in her speech, then continued as if nothing had happened. "My name is Princess Kori'andr of Tamaran. I have had dealings with these visitors before, and-"

"Excuse me, _Princess._" The representative of the United States stood up, smirking at the girl. "Visitors? Who are these said-"

"That is enough, Senator." A woman stood up from the back of the room and walked toward the front. "Diana Prince, United States, your highness." She winked at them as Cyborg's mouth went dry. _Wonder Woman? _"Please, continue."

Starfire smiled at her as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She took a deep breath, ignoring the raising sounds of the protestors. She began to speak louder. "As I was saying, if we could reach a compromise-"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Cyborg fell to the ground as the world went black.

**End of Chapter 3! Hope you enjoyed it. Sorry to leave you on a cliff hanger. I try to get a chapter posted each week, so hopefully you can learn what happened then! Stay tuned! Thank you again for reading! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello fellow Titans fans! Hope you enjoyed the last chapter-which left us on a cliff hanger. Sorry, not sorry. Anyway, I noticed that my breaks between scenes were messed up so I am going to make sure that every scene break is noticeable. Anyway, I do not own Teen Titans or any characters related to the show. Hope you enjoy this next chapter and please feel free to review and critic! **

**Chapter 4**

**Beast Boy's POV**

Okay, this was getting out of hand. Beastboy circled over the crowd as an eagle to ensure the best overview of the crowd. The protesters were clamoring to push past the barrier set up by police. The policemen were trying their best to hold them back, but the crowd outnumbered them 10 to 1. _Dude, this is going to get ugly. _

Beastboy hated that he couldn't talk to the others in his animal forms. Maybe Superman could calm down the crowd. Or Mas and Menos could circle them and create some sort of electromagnetic field-or something like that. Or Raven could create some portal and send the protestors somewhere else.

"_**Beastboy. What do you see?" **_The Martian Manhunter's voice rang through his head, vibrating at his temple and into his beak. _OOOWWWWW! I hate telepathy. __**"Garfield, I cannot see. What is the status of the crowd. Do you see anything suspicious?"**_

Suspicious? Beastboy was able to focus on almost every face in the crowd but all he saw was screaming mouths and spit flying everywhere between raised fists and picket signs with sayings like "Aliens go home" and "God created man is His image, not created aliens" and one that even said, "Marry me Aqualad". Why did everyone want to marry the fish man-child?! Green was in fashion this summer-well for Beastboy all the time, but still.

Unsure of how to respond as he was a bird, Beastboy thought really hard and slow. _**"Uhm, can you hear me? I don't see anything besides angry people." **_He paused as he waited for a reply. _**"Martian Manhunter, sir? Did you hear me?" **_He paused again. Was he doing it wrong? _**"Maybe he went on a hot date with Wonder Woman? Or Black Canary? Or Zatanna! Man, she has legs for days-" **_

_** "I heard you the first time, Garfield. And I would prefer you not to think about my coworkers in such a way." **_

Beastboy forgot to flap for a second as his heart leapt. _**"Sorry! Sorry! Just, haha, making a joke. Martian Manhunter, sir." **_If he could, Beastboy would have hit his forehead with his wing. Letting out a screech from his beak, Beastboy shifted his primary feathers and coasted with a current to take a different view of the crowd-and away from the awkward conversation. _Well, that couldn't have been anymore awkward…_Beastboy shifted his position to where he could see the temporary UN building, seeing his teammates and Titans East in their positions. Nightwing was posed on the rooftop of a building facing the northern entrance, Batman one from the main entrance on the western side. The rest of the Justice League and Titans were either inside the building or hidden from view-unless you were an eagle of course. Beastboy made out a flash of violet hair in the middle of the crowd. Poor Raven, having to use her empathy powers to attempt to calm the crowd. If only he could be down there helping her, even as an emotional support animal. He saw he glance up at him and he let out an eagle cry to acknowledge he saw her and show his understanding and support for her difficult task. Well, hopefully she could get all of that from one caw. Suddenly, her brow furrowed and her face grew confused. Suddenly, Martian Manhunter's voice filled his head again. He must have been giving each person in security the same message because Nightwing's eyes narrowed and Batman's frown deepened-if that was even possible.

_**"Raven has sensed something. She says a wave of hatred and fear has flooded the crowd and the policemen are growing more nervous. Wait-she says that-" **_

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The air was an inferno, smoke and flames engulfing the back of the building. Beastboy tumbled toward the ground but gained enough awareness to shift his form. Every time if felt as if he turned into jelly, his bones stretching and muscles pulling. It didn't matter that it didn't hurt anymore-it still felt as if he were Gumby. Tucking into a roll as an armadillo, Beastboy landed with a hard THUNK before quickly shifting into a cheetah. He dashed toward the inferno, dodging protestors who were screaming and running from the scene. Policemen were ushering the civilians to leave, trying to maintain order in the chaos. Suddenly, flashes of red and white dashed before his vision as Mas and Menos began taking civilians away at the speed of sound. Beastboy ignored the crowd as he continued on to help Starfire and the world representatives at the meetings. Suddenly, a black portal appeared in front of him. He dashed through it without a second thought and entered into a world of fire and fear. Many world leaders lay on the floor dead or unconscious, others trying to help each other up, others still hiding or trying to run out the door.

"Are you okay?" Raven emerged from the shadows of the smoke, pulling up her hood. She looked at Beastboy, her pupils dilated in fear. Beastboy shifted back into his human form and smiled at her.

"Worried about me, Rae? I'm touched."

"Not the time, Garfield." Raven's cheeks flushed and Beastboy felt his heart pound harder.

"Right, not the time. You portal people out of here, I will look for Cy and Star." Before he could lose his nerve, Beastboy reached out and squeezed Raven's hand. It was surprisingly cool to the touch. She gave him a quick smile, then sank into the shadows of the floor.

_Right. Focus, dude. Find Cy and Star. _Shaking his head, Beastboy shifted into a bloodhound and immediately regretted it. Smoke, death, explosives, human waste, sweat, and so many other smells assaulted his sensitive nostrils. Shifting back into human form, Beastboy choked and gagged. Okay, maybe using smell was a bad idea. He quickly scanned the room as a human before-BINGO!

Cyborg lay on the floor by the podium, slowly trying to get up. He was buried under some chunks of dry wall. A woman with dark hair in a pantsuit was working to get him out. She was moving chunks twice her size. _How is she doing that? _Beastboy changed into a gorilla and charged over to the woman and began helping her. She turned to him and grunted, "Beastboy, thank Hera! What happened out there?" _Huh? _Beastboy looked at her name badge, which read Diana Prince. Wait…Hera?

Beastboy became human again as he spouted out, "Wonder Woman?!" The Amazon grunted as she moved one of the last chunks off of Cyborg, then knelt down to check on the man. "Yes, Beastboy. But please, these women and men know me as Diana Prince, Military representative for the United States. My civilian name will suffice." She paused as she turned Cyborg over. He groaned as he began to feel his head. "Praise Gaea, he is okay." She looked at Beastboy, who just stared at her with an open mouth. His brain had stopped working. "Garfield. I need your help."

Right! Beastboy finally snapped back to reality and shook his head. "Sorry, I just-wow. Wonder Woman! Yes, anyway, so there was this big explosion and then the protestors ran away and the police are working to help get people out. And, yeah-that's all we know…" Wonder Woman began to help Cyborg up, who was looking around confused. She looked at Beastboy with a frown on her beautiful face, her glasses pressing into her cheekbones and brow.

"Thank you. I had figured as much, but we are unsure as to what caused the explosion. What do you…" Suddenly, a humming sound filled the room. The three heroes began to search around the room.

"Umm, did someone leave their gigantic phone on vibrate?" Beastboy chuckled half-heartedly, then looked up, realizing it was coming from the ceiling. The smoke was beginning to clear from the hole, revealing shapes on the edges of the gap. "Who are they?"

Suddenly, humanoid shapes descended from the gap, ten at a time, and began to form a circle around the group. The humans still awake and in the room began to scream, clamoring for the exits. The exits suddenly exploded inward, troops of these attackers marching in the doors. The people fled to the sides, pressing themselves against walls or underneath tables. The attackers looked vaguely familiar.

Cyborg whispered, "Oh no," one second before Beastboy understood. They were Tamaraneans. The aliens began to form ranks, circling the parameter of the room, and lining themselves at the end of every row of tables. Ten circled Beastboy, Cyborg, and Wonder Woman, weapons pointed directly at them. Glancing at each other, the three heroes raised their arms in surrender. Beastboy noticed Wonder Woman's hand twitch toward her belt. It had a golden sheen to it-_must be her lasso. _

"On your knees, infidels. No harm shall come to you if you tell us where to find Princess Kori'andr." One guard grunted, jabbing the point of his alien gun into Beastboy's side.

"Hey, watch it!" Beastboy hit the point of the gun away and glared at the man. "And dude, your English is weird. Did you kiss Shakespeare?" The alien's paused and looked at the green teen. Cyborg muttered, "Way to go, Grass Stain," under his breath.

The alien banished his weapon at Beastboy again. "Green one-how do you know of our method of language transference? Do you know the Princess?" Beastboy rolled his eyes at the Tamaranean guard.

"Yes, indeed. I know the fair Princess Starfire. We have quested many moons and-"

SMACK!

Suddenly, Beastboy's ears were ringing and his head swimming. Some words were exchanged between Wonder Woman and their captors when suddenly he heard Starfire's voice. Beastboy shook his head. He must have had a concussion, because he didn't understand a word she was saying. Starfire's voice sounded strained, as if she was choking or laughing so hard she couldn't finish a punchline. But why would she be telling jokes right now?

Suddenly, he felt himself being shoved to the ground, and heard clanking. He looked up and saw Wonder Woman standing over him, still dressed as a civilian, deflecting shots from her bracelets. Beastboy tried to get up when he felt cold hands on his forehead. "Raven?"

Relief flooded his senses and the ringing began to go away. Blinking rapidly, Beastboy shot up and quickly regretted it. His head began to spin again as the cold hands quickly shoved him down again. Suddenly the world was engulfed by darkness, then just as quickly light came back into the room. He glanced around and realized that Raven had transported them outside of the building. The area was deserted except for policemen and firefighters on the other side of the building. He could hear fighting and shots being fired from the inside.

"Raven, we have to go back! We have to help people!" Beastboy tried to sit up again and again his vision turned red and swirly.

Raven put a hand on his chest. Immediately, Beastboy felt calming. "Ohh, come on Raven-that's not fair. You can't use your empathy powers on me right now!"

The sorceress pursed her lower lip and slid her hood off. "It is fair. You can't fight and you would just get in the way." She sighed as she quickly got to her feet again, pushing Beastboy against the wall of the neighboring building. "Just…I healed you so it is only a minor concussion, but that doesn't mean you can fight. Please, stay here." She hesitated then quickly grabbed his hand squeezed-just like he had done a few minutes before. Before he could respond, she melted into the ground again.

Beastboy sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. He noticed a couple of policemen looking at him and he gave them a thumbs up. "No worries, guy!" He called, feeling his head vibrate causing him pain. "I'm the lookout for when they come out!"

OOOOOOOOOOO

Beastboy jerked awake, his legs kicking something soft. _When did I fall asleep? _He glanced around and realized he was back at the Titan's East tower. Sighing, he rubbed his temple. His head ached all the way to the base of his neck. _Hmmm, would my head hurt less if I was a chinchilla? _

"Friend Beastboy, you are awake!" Strong arms roped around him, squeezing his chest so tightly he couldn't breathe. "We were most worried about you! I am so sorry for all of this! I...oh, I am holding you the too tightly?" Starfire released Beastboy and put him back down on the couch. His head began to throb with his heartbeat.

"I'm okay, Star. Umm, what exactly happened? Is everyone okay?" Beastboy noticed both Titans East and his team were surrounding him in a bed. "Uhh, where are we?"

Nightwing pulled up a chair, turned the back to face Beastboy, and sat down with his arms crossed over the back. "You're in the infirmary at Titans East Tower. Once Raven dropped you off outside to safety, you passed out. A policeman got you out of harm's way as we fought against the Tamaraneans." He paused, glancing at Starfire, who suddenly found her shoes very interesting. "Kori found out it was a rouge band of Tamaranean soldiers who wanted immediate action so they thought they would take our resources by force. They have all been condemned and taken into Tamaranean authorities. However, our ties for negotiations are broken with Tamaran."

Beastboy's head swam as he processed this information. He noticed Raven at the end of the bed, her eyes had bags under them. She must have been who he accidently kicked when he woke up. Had she been there this whole time. Feeling his eyes on her, she quickly looked over to Starfire, who seemed to be holding back tears. "Soooo, what does that mean, exactly?"

Nightwing seemed to steel himself, as he glanced at Cyborg, who nodded his head in silent agreement. "Representatives from over 11 countries have lost their lives. People are in a panic, demanding war. The UN has agreed that war is the only option."

"NO!" Everyone's head swiveled to Starfire, who's hands were balled into fists. "It is NOT the only option! My people are ruled by their emotions, but they are not evil! They did not come here for war-they came here to make allies!" Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. "They need Earth's help! These rebels were not a part of peace! Please, I did not get to talk to the UN completely! We must try and make peace!"

Everyone stared quietly, not sure how to respond. Starfire was breathing in and out rapidly, as if fighting to control her emotions. Beastboy felt his heart lurch for the alien princess. He hadn't realized how much she loved her people. Having lived on Earth for so long, he assumed she was loyal to Earth alone. But, where should she help?

Suddenly, a sharp, single clap caused everyone to jump. Bumblebee stood up and shook her head. "Look, y'all. We are all tired, and nothing is gonna get fixed tonight. Let's all clean up and go to sleep. First thing in the morning, I'll contact the League and see what strings they can pull to get Starfire to talk with someone. But it is almost midnight and I don't know about y'all, but I am beat. See ya in the morning." Without any farther ado, she waltzed out of the room and the door closed behind her.

"She's right. We can't do anything tonight." Cyborg placed a hand on Starfire's shoulder, which caused her to slump her shoulders in defeat. "Why don't we get some sleep and let Beastboy heal. Raven, feeling up to healing him again?"

The empath simply nodded as the rest of the two teams filed out of the room. Cyborg paused for a minute at the door, before sayings, "Just stay in here tonight, BB. Raven, make sure to go to bed." Cyborg's look seemed to drill a hole into Beastboy's forehead, causing his heart to race.

"Whatever you say, Doc!" Beastboy smiled as Cyborg huffed and walked out of the room. He turned to see Raven's hands encased in her healing magic. She brushed her fingers against the goose egg on his forehead, which instantly began to feel better. His head slowly began to stop throbbing as much. He smiled and joked, "Who knew we had a doctor in the house?" Her lips twitched but not in a smile. _Dang, I thought that callback would have worked. _"Look, Raven, I'm sorry. I know I- hey are you okay?"

Raven's face contorted, exhaustion taking over her. Tears spilled out of her eyes but she shook her head no. "I'm fine, Beastboy."

"No, you're not. What's wrong?" Beastboy sighed as she shook her head adamantly. "Look, Rae, I'm sorry. It was stupid to egg the guy on, and I won't do it again." Raven sighed and shook her head again. She turned away from him, pulling at her hood but not hiding her face.

"Beastboy…Gar…It is just, first Kori and now you. My emotions are unstable because I haven't meditated all day and everyone's emotions are so high it makes me feel…anyway, I'm fine." Raven pretended to scratch her face when in reality Beastboy knew she was wiping away tears. She turned back to him and hesitated before leaving her hand over his. Beastboy's heart quickened, but he laced his fingers with hers.

Smiling, Beastboy said, "You can meditate in here if you want. I'll just be dying over here." He smiled as she rolled her eyes at his lame joke. "And Raven, thanks…for healing me and stuff…" Opening up wasn't easy for her, but she was vulnerable with him. He should return the favor. "Hey, Raven…"

Quickly, the empath got up from her position on the edge of his bed and let go of his hand. She stepped back and slipped into a meditative pose in the air. "Get some rest, Garfield." She closed her eyes and began to chant quietly to herself. Beastboy flexed his fingers as he gently laid his head back on the pillow, more confused about life than ever before.

**So here is the end of Chapter 4. I decided to make it less cliff-hangery and more lighthearted. The bigger question is what Starfire will do now that Tamaran is no longer welcome to Earth and the two planets may be at war! Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you guys soon! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello again! Hope you guys enjoyed that last chapter! I love writing from Beastboy's perspective. I am going to try and get things from every main character's perspective at some point, but since this story is mostly about Starfire I will try and do more chapter's from her view of things. Anyway, we last left off at Beastboy healing and rebel Tamaranean forces attacking the UN meeting to force their hand in aid-which had the opposite effect. Seems like something more sinister is going on. Anyway, I do not own Teen Titans or any of the characters and am in no way affiliated with Teen Titans. Hope you guys like this chapter! **

**Chapter 5**

**Starfire's POV**

"Kori! Hey Kori! KORI!" Nightwing called after the alien princess, who quickened her footsteps. She didn't have the joy to fly at the moment. "STARFIRE!"

Whipping around, the alien princess glared at her boyfriend. Nightwing almost ran into her, stopping at the last second so as not to bowl her over. "Yes?" Starfire fought down hot spikes of anger that boiled in her many stomachs. Now was NOT the time for Nightwing to lecture her. Her friends were hurt and her people were in trouble and-ohhh, too much was going on for another one of his lectures.

Nightwing paused before grabbing her hand, rubbing his thumb over it. "Look, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You've been through a lot with your people coming here and attacking, then having to fight against them-"

"I did not fight against my people. I fought against rebels." Starfire gazed into Nightwing's eyes, imploring him to listen to her. The past couple days he had been keeping distant, acting as if this was for the better. Starfire desired for him to be at her side-and yet she didn't. Something had changed between them but she couldn't quite place what it was. Nightwing opened his mouth to retort, but Starfire interrupted him. "Please, Richard Grayson, I need you to listen to me." Slowly, he closed his mouth and nodded at her to continue but let go of her hand. Starfire tried to ignore the feeling of being let down as she continued. " You are placing all the blame on my people, lumping the traitors with the Tamaraneans. This is not so. We are warriors-not marauders. You blame the actions of a few and project them on all people who are similar."

Nightwing paused, making sure Starfire was done, before retorting, "Kori-people died. You live on Earth now. I know that these are your people, but we can't just ignore the facts. We cannot give into the demands of terrorists and murderers."

"Did you not hear what I said? Those were extremists who went against command. My people are here to negotiate and seek aid-not war! We are not terrorists!"

Starfire's head was wheeling, her heart sinking into her stomachs. He wouldn't listen. He could only see his point of view. "Am I a terrorist? A murderer?" She whispered, her heart quickening at her own words. She had surprised herself that she had asked this. _No, Kori'andr. Now is not the time to back down. No matter how much it hurts._

"Starfire…" Nightwing took a step forward, trying to place a hand on her arm but she shook it off.

"When we first met, you believed I was a terrorist until you got to know me." She refused to look at his face, fearful she would burst into tears.

Nightwing gapped like a fish, opening and closing his mouth before responding. "Look…Yes, I thought you were a terrorist. You caused a lot of damage but you never killed anyone. You were desperate and on the run. That's why we banned together and formed the team. You are the reason we are the Titans."

Starfire bit her lip, not looking at him. "Dick, do you see? My people are desperate. They seek help in the only way they know how." She took a deep breath and looked him in the eye.

"It's not that simple, Kori."

"BUT IT IS THAT SIMPLE!" Starfire began to float, her fists balled tightly to her sides. "Why can you not see that? Why can you not trust me?"

"This isn't about trust, this is about justice! You are not thinking rationally!"

"Rationally?!" Star bolts flared up and engulfed her fists, but she quickly quenched them out. "How am I being the not rational? You do not listen to me or respect me!"

Nightwing shifted his weight to his right side, his left shoulder facing forward toward the alien princess. "Kori, what has gotten into you? I was just saying-"

"You do not think me capable. You misjudge me, you hold me back at the UN meeting, you do not listen to me, and now you act as if I am going to attack you!" Starfire was shaking all over, her body felt as if it would explode. They had had fights before, but nothing like this. Nightwing narrowed his eyes as he slowly shifted his weight to neutral, still leaving his hand on his utility belt. _He truly thought I would hurt him. _ She landed back on the floor, realizing the finality of her next question. "I **know** that if we talk with my people, we can fix this badness and help both Earth and my people. Please. Do you trust me?"

Starfire could see the gears turning in his head. Not long ago, he had promised he would not lie to her. He began to unfurrow his brow, his face beginning to slack. Before he opened his mouth, Starfire knew in her heart his answer.

"I wish I could."

Her heart cracked, tears began to prick her eyes. Blinking back tears, she summoned the best royal demeanor that Galfore had ever taught her. "I see…" She took a deep breath, closing her eyes before opening them, fighting back the urge to cry in front of him. "I cannot be with someone who does not trust me or believe in me. I am…the breaking up with you." Her lower lip began to tremble as Nightwing blinked but kept his face neutral. _He's surprised but trying not to show it. _"Goodbye, Dick."

Without waiting for his reply, Starfire whipped around and flew down the hallway. She zoomed up the corridors, almost hitting Arsenal, who cried "Hey, watch the hair!" and finally found the doorway to the roof. She burst through, gasping for air. Starfire wasn't aware of what was going on with her body, she began to move on autopilot. She began flying as fast as she could without breaking the sound barrier. She covered her mouth with her hand, tears streaming behind her. A horrible choking sound flooded her ears. _Is that me? _Sobs escaped her as she continued to fly. Time began to melt away and after what felt like hours and also like seconds, she arrived at Titans Tower. Her Titans Tower.

Starfire stopped and observed her home. _Ohh, what have I done? _She had finally quit sobbing somewhere between Gotham and Metropolis, but she still had tears streaming down her face. _No, Kori'andr. This is for the best. You must do what is best for your people. _Quickly rubbing an arm over her tears, she flew onto the roof of her beloved home.

"Took you long enough." A voice shot out of nowhere. Reacting without thinking, just like Nightwing had taught her, Starfire threw a star bolt behind her in the direction of the voice. No one was there. Slowly, she began to raise her eyes until she saw the owner of the voice. _Oh, no…_

"Did you miss me, little sister?" _BLACKFIRE?! _Starfire's mind shut down, her brain refusing to believe what she was seeing. "What, no hug for your long-lost favorite sister? I'm hurt." Blackfire smirked down at Starfire.

BAAAAAAAAAM!

Smoke rose from Starfire's raised palm. Starfire had hit Blackfire with a star bolt, hurtling her "favorite sister" into the air. Blackfire finally stopped spinning in the air as she caught herself, her body smoldering. Starfire flew up into the air, eyes alight and fists ablaze with star bolts. "What are you doing here, Komand'r? Leave at once!"

"Temper, temper sister. This is so unlike you! Now relax, I come here in peace." Blackfire lit her hands as well, glaring at her. Obviously, the opposite of peace. Starfire felt anger that she wasn't accustomed to burning in her chest. After everything that had happened, she just _had_ to show up.

"I am not in the mood, sister!" Starfire snarled, almost taken aback by how unlike herself she sounded. "Leave now or I will make you leave."

Blackfire laughed harshly. "I would like to see you try."

"I have beaten you before."

"That was a lucky shot. But this one-not so much!" Suddenly, Blackfire blasted Starfire with a purple star bolt, sending her careening into the roof to Titans Tower. Starfire took a second to sit up and shake off the hit when she heart a whistling sound-_MOVE KORI'ANDR! _

Starfire dodged to the left as Blackfire's leg crashed into the spot she had been laying dazed only a second before. Tucking into a roll, Starfire used her legs to flip her over the side of the Tower, falling into a dive. Blackfire immediately followed and began to throw star bolts to the princess. Starfire evaded each strike but could not shake off Blackfire. _I must use force, just like last time! _Suddenly, Starfire stopped dead in the air as Blackfire drew closer. _Okay, one more moment. I must time this the perfect! _

Starfire could feel the air shift as her sister was almost on top of her when she threw out her elbow straight into Blackfire's throat. The banished princess choked and sank, grasping her throat as Starfire flew in behind her and wrapped her arms around her in a strong lock. Blackfire sputtered but couldn't speak, struggling to get out of Starfire's grasp.

"I will destroy you, little sister!" Blackfire croaked, which would have sounded much more intimidating if she didn't sound like she had swallowed a hundred mosquitos at once.

"Why are you here, Komand'r?" Starfire cried, tightening her grip on her sister.

"Because I asked her to." A strong voice called out to the fighting siblings, causing both to pause their struggle. Starfire immediately released Blackfire (who began to gasp for breath and began to stare daggers at Starfire) and gazed at the voice.

"GALFORE?!" Starfire flew up and thrust her arms around his massive form, his beard tickling her face. She released him and observed his condition. His face and arms were gnarled with cuts and bruises. He quickly raised a hand to gesture for Blackfire to halt, who had been sneaking up behind Starfire to attack her. Blackfire stopped reluctantly and flew to his side. She glared at Starfire, who began to float in a defensive stance between her and Galfore. "Galfore, my sister is…most unpleasant. Why did you ask her here?"

The ruler of Tamaran shifted his body between the two sisters and gestured for them to land on the roof of the Tower. The sisters begrudgingly flew down without taking their eyes off one another. After they landed, Galfore began to speak. "Princes Kori'andr, I know this must seem strange to you, especially after that incident at the Planet's Leader summit. However, we are in need of both of your help." Starfire finally stopped glaring at her sister and turned toward Galfore.

"What do you mean? My sister has been banished from Tamaran and is not welcome here on Earth. She…" Starfire paused, her heart lurching. She still loved her sister, despite all the horrible things she had done. Though she didn't trust her, she knew that Galfore must have a good reason for asking her to help Tamaran. "Tamaran…what has happened? I haven't received new transmissions for a long time. Why ask Komand'r for assistance?"

Galfore knit his eyebrows together and sucked in a breath. Blackfire narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, answering for the gentle warrior. "Because, Kori, I am the last person to orchestrate an invasion which was successful and I also have ties to many peoples around the galaxy. I have the knowledge and connections to help our people. However…" She sniffed and turned up her nose. "You, little sister, have the love of the people. You have the hearts of the Earthlings as well…And as much as it pains me to say this, Earth, _despite how primitive it is_, has weapons that can help our people." Galfore raised his hand again to silence her, earning a growl from Blackfire.

"Yes, my little bumgorf, I need both of you to help our people. Our soothsayers saw that Earth would not assist use, so Blackfire organized a small task force to create a distraction as our troops searched their scientific divisions around the world in search for biochemical weapons. The Nameless Ones have technology beyond our understanding. We cannot defeat them in force alone, while-"

"While Earth is full of nasty bacteria, viruses, and other diseases that we can use to take back Tamaran." The black-haired beauty turned toward Starfire, raising her chin in challenge. "Despite what you think of me and my past…trespasses…I care for Tamaran and do not want it to come to harm." Starfire's frown deepened. Could she believe her sister? Her heart tightened as she began to process what all she had hear. _Maybe Dick was right. If I trust my sister, can I be trusted? _She shifted her gaze to Galfore, who was looking at her with a knowing look. He wouldn't have asked both of them for help if it wasn't a last resort.

Starfire looked at Galfore but addressed her question to her sister. "What has happened to Tamaran? What has happened to my people?"

Blackfire's face twitched but she continued to scowl. "Oh, nothing much. Just everyone on the planet is either enslaved or dead."

"KOMAND'R!" Galfore bellowed, causing her to roll her eyes.

"What I mean to say is, Tamaran is completely overrun. There is no marriage agreement. No peace treaty. Nothing can be done except surrender and leave. Galfore was going to wait for that stupid Earth peace meeting to be over, but the Nameless Ones moved up their deadline for surrender or annihilation." Blackfire began to pace, taking her eyes off the other two Tamaraneans. "Tamaran cannot wait any longer. More people die every moment we do not retaliate." Starfire couldn't believe her heart could hurt more than it did after she broke up with Nightwing and fought against her own people, but she was wrong. Her heart began to shatter.

With a tight chest and an even more tightly clenched fist, Starfire pursed her lips before she had mustered the courage to ask the question she was dreading. "There is no other hope for our Tamaran, is there?" The blank looks from Blackfire and Galfore said it all. Starfire sighed and began to pace, her usual method of processing emotions. "Then…we must return at once to Tamaran. Do we have what we need to defeat the Nameless Ones?"

"Yes, Princess. Our squads stationed in Dubai and Beijing have retrieved the materials needed to defeat our enemies." Galfore looked up into the sky as if he realized it was time to continue on. He sighed and looked back to the red-head. "We shall return in the morning to retrieve you for-"

"Wait! I must tell my friends-they shall be here in the morning. Please…they can help." _Well, Raven will. Cyborg and Beastboy might. But Dick…_"They WILL help us." Starfire noticed Blackfire's face contort in annoyance.

"Great. Just what we need-more useless Earthlings to help us."

Starfire straightened up and glared at her sister. Her anger had subsided into defeat but she would not let her sister know what was going on in her head. "They will help sister. They shall be more help than you!"

Blackfire took a step toward Starfire, her face betraying her confusion at Starfire's newfound confidence and defiance. Galfore placed a hand in front of the exiled princess and looked between to two sisters. "Heed our call, Starfire. We shall return in the morning."

The two alien visitors began to fly up toward the sky. As she began to leave, Blackfire called back, "I hope more people do not die while we wait." With a flash, the two Tamaraneans were gone. Starfire hugged herself as she thought about her sister's words.

"That is my hope too, sister." Starfire whispered to herself. "That is my hope too."

**Sorry, this wasn't my best chapter. But this is setting up for the rest of the story. There is going to be more character building in the next couple chapters but the last few chapters will have lots of action and intrigue! There will be 13 chapters in all (just like there are usually 13 episodes per season!) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I will write again soon! Until then! Thank you for reading and please feel free to critic and review! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again, my fellow Teen Titan lovers! Thank you again for continuing with me on my journey. After reviewing the last chapter, I realize some of my inspiration goes hand and hand with history and today's societal issues. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next chapter-we are almost halfway through with the story! Hard to believe! I don't own Teen Titans or any of its wonderful characters or stories. Hope you like this next chapter! **

**Chapter 6**

**Raven's POV**

Okay, Nightwing really needs to shut off his emotions. Raven strummed her fingers on the armrest of the T-ship. She glanced out the window at the nearest sign. 30 miles to Jump City. _At last the road trip from hell is coming to a close. _Raven sighed as she laid her head back onto the headrest and closed her eyes. Anger. Confusion. Hurt. Anger. Pride. All of Nightwing's emotions literally rolled off of him like a tidal wave.

Raven felt a headache beginnings to form at her temples. Cyborg wasn't much better. His confusion and frustration at Nightwing and the UN situation was crushing her too. At least Beastboy was out cold, his emotions dampened by sleep and a large dose of melatonin to help him stay dead to the world through the trip. Though, his usually chipper moods could balance out the angst coming of the two men in the front seats. She slowly rubbed her temples with her fingers. _Starfire could make this better too. Her joy always brings the team together. I wish she hadn't taken off. I thought our 20's would be less drama than our teens…_

Opening her eyes, Raven tilted her head to gaze out the window. Suburbs were sprouting up as they neared the city. The team hadn't planned on coming back to Jump City until the UN fiasco was over, but Starfire had contacted Raven late that night as she was meditating in the infirmary. Raven thought back to the night before.

Raven's thought were swirling, everyone's emotions overcoming her. It was causing her to want to cry, scream, and blow up something all at once. Her heart was also still racing from her talk with Beastboy. Sure, things had changed in the past four years since she defeated her father, Trigon, but still….it was Beastboy.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos, Azarath Metrion Zinthos." The young empath felt her emotions slowly slipping away as the world around her began to fade, her mind an empty slate. Raven finally began to feel at peace when she heard a knock on the door. Popping open her eyes, she realized that it was long after midnight and Beastboy was fast asleep. His monitors showed he was just fine. As Raven landed back on the floor, the door opened to reveal Bumblebee. Her face looked haggard, similar to what Nightwing's face looked like after long nights in search of Slade.

"Hey girl!" Bumblebee muttered, her voice a bit husky from lack of sleep. "Sorry, I didn't realize you were in here."

"It's fine." Raven tried for friendly…not exactly her style. Bumblebee smiled in thanks all the same. "What are you doing up?"

Bumblebee slowly walked over to check on Beastboy's charts and nodded in approval. She didn't answer right away, but Raven knew she wasn't ignoring her. After slowly packing up some medical tools into a desk, she answered the empath. "You know, it isn't easy being the only woman in a tower full of boys." She laughed humorlessly as she closed the desk and turned to face Raven. "I hate that me, you, and Starfire can't live together. Or just…get away from it sometimes, you know?" She paused, then rolled her tired eyes. "Sorry girl, I'm just exhausted and after these past couple of days…"

Raven nodded her head in understanding. "Boys are idiots. Trust me, I live with Beastboy and Cyborg." She gestured to the green man on the bed, who was wordlessly mouthing something in his sleep.

Bumblebee smiled and shook her head. "Don't forget Bat Boy! He might just be the biggest idiot of them all."

"What did he do…" It wasn't a question. Raven felt her fingers tense up. She had a complicated history with Nightwing. At first she liked him, but as he began to develop feelings for Starfire and vice versa, the feelings began to morph into deep friendship. Now, it would be like dating her brother. Plus, they were too much alike. Raven craved balance. Someone who could balance out her darkness with positivity. Like Starfire. Or…

"Oh, that boy has a lot to answer to. He and Miss Tamaran had a knockout fight. I was walking back to lockdown the Tower when I heard them. She dumped his sorry-"

"WHAT?!" Raven let out an uncharacteristic shout, causing all the computer screens to burst then go dark. Beastboy jerked awake, looking around himself confused.

"Cyborg ice skates on tofu!" He shook himself, his eyes glazed and red. "Wait, what?" He looked between Raven and Bumblebee, who was taken aback by Raven's outburst as well. Raven felt her face grow warm and quickly pulled up her hood. "Rae, you okay?" He checked the clock. "Why are you still here?"

Raven shook her head and ignored him. "Starfire and Nightwing…Are you sure?" Bumblebee nodded her head wordlessly, turning toward her computers and touching them in disbelief and annoyance.

"Seriously? Girl…What is the big deal? They'll be back together before you know it." Bumblebee huffed angerly and began working to turn on the computers back on the wall. Beastboy raised an eyebrow at Raven, but she shook her head in confusion. As he opened his mouth, Raven's communicator began to buzz on her belt. Quickly, she took it out and opened it. Starfire stared back at her, eyes puffy and green (Raven forgot Tamaranean eyes turn green instead of red), her background was her _bedroom? _

"Kori, are you-"

"Friend Raven, I am sorry to wake up but I require your immediate assistance." Starfire looked flustered, obviously pacing her room like she typically does whenever she is anxious. "Please, can you and the rest of the team return home? It is upmost of the importance." Raven couldn't feel her emotions but she didn't have to. Starfire would never ask something of her friends without explanation unless there was no other choice. It had to be due to the Tamaranean trips.

"Of course. I will get everyone read to go first thing in the morning."

"Please…it is most urgent." Starfire's eyes pleaded at Raven. Though Raven didn't have a sister, she always felt that Starfire was hers. A touch of jealously and guilt tapped at Raven's senses coming from Bumblebee's direction. She felt jealous of their friendship but immediately felt guilty about feeling jealous. Raven caught her eye over the communicator and Bumblebee nodded and whispered. "Go help your girl." She fished in her pocket for something and threw keys at Raven. "Take our T-ship-it's a lot faster than that stupid rust bucket Cyborg drives."

"I'm totally telling him you said that." Beastboy muttered, causing Raven to roll her eyes.

Suddenly the ship lurched to a stop, causing Raven to fall out of her daydream. Cyborg was descending the ship onto the roof, where the alien princess stood waiting.

Starfire wordlessly lead the team to the common area. She gave a quick hug to Raven, smiled at Cyborg and Beastboy, but completely ignored Nightwing. Raven felt waves of frustration and hurt rolling off their leader. She hadn't felt anything like this since Terra betrayed them-and his own 21st birthday, but that was another story.

"Please, sit." Starfire gestured to the table, which each member of the team gingerly sat down. Beastboy caught Raven's eye and raised his eyebrow in question. The night before as the team got ready to go, she had told him what Starfire had told her about Tamaran and her sister-and about Nightwing and Starfire breaking up. Beastboy was doubtful about the plan to go to outer space but trusted Raven and Starfire's judgment. After everyone was situated, Starfire began her presentation. "Thank you for coming, my friends. I would not ask this of you if it was not of the upmost importance."

Cyborg nodded his head at the alien, then stated, "We got your back." Starfire gave him a small smile, her eyes lighting up for the first time in weeks.

"Thank you, it is most appreciated." She caught Raven's eye, when suddenly uncertainty flooded Raven's system. _We trust you. _Raven forced a smile on her face. As suddenly as it came, the uncertainty vanished, leaving Raven feeling empty. _Is that Starfire or me? _"I must ask you to trust me…" Starfire started, slowly backing away toward the door. "I caution, what you are about to see may seem the irresponsible, but truly it is the best way to help my people and make up for the mistakes made here on Earth. Sister?"

Cyborg and Nightwing immediately jumped up, the former accidentally knocking the table over. Beastboy slowly stood up, moving between the two in case he had to hold them back. Raven felt a tug at her heart seeing him trust her without question but quickly repressed it. _Not now, Raven. _The two men stood defensively as Blackfire came into the room.

"STARFIRE! YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" Nightwing called as Cyborg readied his sonic cannon. "She's tried to kill you more times than you can count. She has already tried to take over Tamaran herself-how can you-"

"I am aware of these things, Nightwing." Starfire stated coolly, moving to stand beside her sister. "My sister has taken over Tamaran before and has paid for these deeds." She looked between the three males with pleading eyes. "She has been helping my people without fail since the invasion of the Nameless Ones. While I do not trust my sister…I must work with her to help my people. My people have been invaded and we have nothing left…I must help my people face this invasion. The only option for my people to come to Earth. Most people believe we are primitive and worthless, but Earth knows little of my people. Earth could help without prejudice. My people may have come here without realizing how our actions will seem, we only came to seek help."

Starfire glanced at each of her friends, her eyes resting on Raven for support. Raven felt for her friend. Glancing at Blackfire, the banished princess glared at the team, her arms crossed over her chest. Raven looked back at Starfire and nodded at her to continue. Starfire smiled meekly at her as she began again. "We are leaving at once for Tamaran, which will take my people away from Earth. Galfore has already implemented a peace offering to the UN, a treaty which states an envoy of my people will return once the war is over to rebuild and make amends." Cyborg lowered his cannon but scratched his head, looking uncertain while Nightwing lowered his hand to his belt. Beastboy glanced at Raven with knitted eyebrows, then back at Starfire. "I leave at once, but I must ask more of you…Will you come with me?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Raven blurted out, surprising even herself, then immediately felt her face grow warm. Beastboy immediately stepped forward and smiled.

"Count me in!"

Starfire glanced at Cyborg and Nightwing, who had exchanged a silent conversation through their eyes. Nightwing scrunched his eyebrows together, looking away as Cyborg nodded. "Like I said-we got your back."

Nightwing shifted his weight to look directly at Starfire but kept Blackfire in his peripheral. "Look, Kori, of course we will come with you, but what about Earth? We are leaving it just as the world is in crisis."

Blackfire laughed a hollow laugh and moved toward the team, causing everyone to step into defensive mode. "And what do you think us leaving will do to make it worse, Bird Boy?" She flipped her hair, hitting Starfire in the face. Starfire spit out her sister's hair from her mouth as her eyes began to glow in annoyance. "Oops, didn't see you there, little sister. Our people are leaving, whether you like it or not. You little Earthlings don't have the power to follow us, so no war. Yay, you win." She turned to Starfire and rolled her eyes. "Why do you lower yourself to mingle with these Troqs? I could literally fry your little boyfriend in a matter of seconds."

A wave of pent up anger hit Raven like a wall. Before she could call out, "Don't-" Nightwing attacked Blackfire. Being called her boyfriend after having broken up along with all the stress of the invasion and worrying about Starfire must have made him crack. Nightwing threw a batarang at the black-haired beauty, who quickly dodged out of the way and fired a star bolt straight into his chest. Rolling into a tuck, the former sidekick turned the momentum into a back-spring, throwing a flash disc at her. The moment it detonated, the room was blinded, causing everyone to call out. _Okay, enough of this nonsense! _

"ENOUGH!" Raven let a surge of energy release from her body, just a fraction of her soul self. Engulfing the light, she smothered it in shadows while using black claws to hold Blackfire and Nightwing in the air. Both struggled against the black energy. Raven felt her temper getting the better of her and closed her eyes as she mentally chanted her mantra once before opening them again. "Look, I will let you down if you stop acting like children and start acting like adults. We are on the same side."

"For now…" Nightwing muttered but finally ceased struggling. Blackfire kept rubbing her eyes, obviously fighting off the residual strobes from the flash disc.

"Yeah, yeah. Just let me down, witch."

Raven barely gave it a thought and released the two. Blackfire straightened up and turned toward the team. "We are leaving in three of your Earth hours. Either follow in your ship or be left behind on your stinking trash heap of a planet." She turned around, bumping her sister's shoulder with her own as she exited the team. "Let's go, Kori'andr."

"Thank you, friends." She blinked a couple times then followed her sister out the door, which closed quickly behind her.

Glancing around the room, Raven noticed how it was destroyed. _Idiots. _Suddenly, deep, angry breathing filled her ears as she turned to see Nightwing charging out the side door. Cyborg made a move to go after him, but Raven placed a hand on his shoulder. "No, let me. You need to get the T-ship ready for space travel." Not waiting for a reply, Raven charged after their leader. She didn't have to guess where he was heading. The sounds of grunting and dull thuds grew louder as she neared the gym. Nightwing was going to town fighting a punching bag. Taking a moment to quiet her annoyance, Raven chided Anger in her mind before entering the room.

"So, do you always act like a middle-schooler after a breakup?" Raven noted how Nightwing's punched the bag even harder after that comment, then rounded it off with a kick before facing her.

"I'm not in the mood for a lecture, Raven." PUNCH! HIT! " We've got a lot to do."

Raven rolled her eyes as she crossed her hands over her chest. "Oh, right, and fighting a punching bag is the best way to get ready for a deep space trip." Nightwing bristled and turned his head away from the enchantress. "Look, Dick-"

Nightwing whipped his head to stare at her but she narrowed her eyes. "Nightwing, I have been in your head, remember?" She paused and when there was no reply she continued. "Look, I know that you and Starfire aren't on the best of terms right now or even agree, but when you love someone you don't give up on them." Raven felt her heart beat. She had never told any of her friends she had ever loved them. Though she loved them more than anything she could express, she still never had. "When Trigon took over the world and I became the portal, you never gave up hope. You always believed in me and trusted that I was good. I know you love me and the rest of the team, but you love Starfire even more. What makes this so different? Starfire isn't even going to destroy the world. She's trying to save it."

Nightwing shoulders deflated a little but Raven continued on. "You know me better than anyone on the team-you know this doesn't come easily for me. But I love you-all of you. I would do anything for you, just as you would and have for me." She took a deep breath. _When is the last time I have talked this long? _Raven resisted the urge to tuck her head into her hood, so she ran her fingers through her hair instead. "We have to do the same for Starfire." She looked up at him in the eyes. He was staring at her confused, trying his best to repress his emotions.

Suddenly, he smirked and did he best to seem like he wasn't upset and furious. "So, you love me? I'm touched-though what would Beastboy think?"

Raven felt anger flare up in her stomach, which caused the weights in the room to tremble for a second. "You're hopeless." She whipped around and dashed to the roof. _Oh Azar, I have to meditate. _

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Raven chanted quietly to herself, floating above the rooftop. _What a prick! He is worse than Beastboy sometimes! _Huffing angerly, Raven lost concentration and accidentally landed hard on her butt. "Oww…"

"Raven?" Turning around, she saw Beastboy looking at her trying not to laugh. "Umm, not to butt in but-"

"Wow. You have moved up from fart jokes to puns. I'm impressed." Raven smirked as Beastboy laughed good naturedly at her joke.

"What can I say? I have a talent!" He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Besides, you always thought I was funny."

"That was one time. I have learned."

"Ahh, come on! You know I'm hilarious!"

"That is in the eye of the beholder."

Beastboy laughed at her joke again and sat down next to her on the roof. He dangled his legs over the side. "Sorry, I know you need to meditate-I just got to get away from all the teen angst downstairs!"

Raven moved to dangle her legs over the side as well, staring at the city sprawling before them. "Teen angst? You're the only teen here!"

Beastboy puffed up his chest and looked over at Raven! "What? You barely are 20 and I turn 20 next month!" Raven raised an eyebrow but gifted him with a small smile. Beastboy deflated and smiled back at her. "You know what I mean. All the romance drama. Everyone has been acting so weird and moody."

"Like everyone has turned into me?" Raven quipped, knowing his response before him.

"Exactly! Wait-no-what I mean is-" Beastboy blustered and Raven allowed herself a good chuckle. Some things never change. _We really have grown up, haven't we? _She looked Beastboy in the eye and felt her heart quicken. _Oh no you don't-stop that! It's Beastboy. BEASTBOY! Garfield Logan, the boy who used to think fart jokes were Voltaire? That guy. _She lowered her eyes back to the city. Beastboy had gone quiet, looking at Raven.

"Hey Raven." She refused to look at him, knowing how things had changed. Sure, she could show her emotions more freely and experience life more since she wasn't under her father's influence anymore. But…"Raven, I know things are weird between everyone and everything is scary and intense. It must be hard on your powers. But things don't have to be weird between us." Raven felt his hand rest on top of hers. Heat flooded her face that had nothing to do with the sun that had begun to creep up in the sky.

_Okay. What do I do? What do I do? Knowledge? Bravery? Happiness? _Just when she needed them, her emotions were silent. _Perfect. Thanks for the advice. _Steeling her nerves, Raven decided to give in. Intertwined her fingers with his, she shifted her head onto his shoulder. She felt Beastboy stiffen for a moment then relax and place his head on top of hers. Neither knew what to say, so of course Beastboy had to ruin it.

"So, how about that-"

'Shut up, Garfield. We're having a moment."

"Shutting up now."

**Sorry for the longer chapter. Raven is one of my favorite characters of all time and getting into her point of view was really fun. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please feel free to review and critic! Almost halfway! Thank you for reading! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Actually had inspiration strike and enough time to write this! (Next week I will be a bit busy so I might not get a chance to write a chapter for a week or two.) Hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Anyway, we left off where Starfire has convinced the team to help her and join her in the quest to save her people. There is still much that is uncertain-especially with her relationship with Nightwing. Anyway, I do not own Teen Titans or any of the characters or stories. Hope you enjoy this chapter and please feel free to review and critic. **

**Chapter 7**

**Cyborg's POV**

_Commlinks? Check. Oxygen? Maximum. Plants to ensure we have oxygen? _Cyborg glanced around, before noticing one measly house plant Raven watered occasionally. _Ehhh, we'll be fine. _The robotic man began to shift through his checklist. _Okay, looks like we are about ready. Which means-_"DONUTS!" Cyborg looked at his communicator, noticing Beastboy was on the roof. "Maybe BB will want some donuts before we leave. We still got two hours!" Smiling, he waltzed up to the elevator and took it to the roof. Donuts always made things better.

As the doors opened, Cyborg immediately felt something was off. Slowly, he walked around the entryway into the stairwell that led to the roof. "I swear, if that little Grass Stain is trying to mess with me…" Sneaking open the door, he peered out. Nothing. _What is he up to…_ Not wanting a repeat of the Great Roof Magnetic Trap 3000 Prank of 2017, Cyborg snuck around the edge of the opening. Suddenly, the sound of Beastboy's laugh came quietly to his ears.

Bingo.

Cyborg inched around the wall and peeked around it-and his brain exploded.

Beastboy and Raven were leaning their heads on each other, holding hands, quietly talking. _No. No, no, no, no, no…. Seriously?!_

Feeling annoyance at Beastboy and protective toward Raven, he began to walk out to confront them once and for all about all the weird vibes they have been sending out and ask what the heck was going on-until Raven said, "Shut up, Garfield. We're having a moment." This stopped Cyborg in his tracks. _I can't do this now…_Slowly, he began to back up and walk back to the door. After he quietly closed the door and began to walk back down the stairs, he took in a deep breath. Raven kept things close to the vest. Beastboy did too, at least things that mattered. If he hadn't said anything, then it must be important to him. _But after all of this is over, I am going to give him the longest, most awkward "The Talk" that ever given.. _Smiling nefariously, Cyborg continued to walk until he rammed into something hard.

Falling on his butt, Cyborg looked up to see Starfire cradling four large boxes in her arms. "Friend Cyborg! My apologies! I did not see you!" She put down the boxes, grabbed the bionic man's hand and helped him up. "You are undamaged?"

"Hey Star-I mean Kori! Don't worry. I'm made of metal-you'd have to do a lot worse to hurt me." Cyborg smiled at her, then gestured to the boxes. "What's with the boxes?"

Glancing down at them, she sighed before looking back up at her friend. "It is…precaution. I am unsure when I shall return to Earth after we fight the Nameless Ones." She paused and looked away again. "I am unsure if I will be welcomed back once we are done fighting them."

Cyborg looked down at this woman who was like a sister to him. "What did that little Dick do?"

Heat raising to her face, Starfire quickly shook her head. "How did you learn his true name?" Cyborg laughed, taking two of Starfire's boxes from the floor. Noticing he was going to leave her standing there, Starfire grabbed the other two and began walking toward where the T-ship was primed to fly.

"He told me on his 21st birthday bash. Let's just say vodka is like truth serum for him." Cyborg laughed as Starfire smiled weakly at him.

"Yes, that night was one I wish I could forget."

"Don't we all!"

The pair laughed quietly. Cyborg's heart swelled hearing her laugh, but he grew quiet again. The doors opened and Starfire placed the boxes near the rear compartment of the vehicle. "Dick and I…we have done the breaking up."

Without realizing what he was doing, he swooped in and cradled Starfire in a hug. She returned it without hesitation, her strength almost squeezing the breath out of Cyborg's lungs. She began to tremble, so Cyborg held on to her. He knew how she hated to be seen crying.

"I'm sorry." He paused before continuing. "Is that why you feel you cannot come back?" Starfire slowly untangled herself from him and pulled away. She wiped her eyes before, taking her time before answering.

"That is part of it. In truth, have asked much of you. Also…Tamaran will need help to rebuild after the invasion." She paused and looked back up at Cyborg. "I would understand if you would not want me around anymore after I hid the information from you."

Cyborg felt his mind whirling. A world without Starfire? His whole family was changing. Nightwing and Starfire breaking up. Beastboy and Raven doing…whatever they were doing. Heck, he still was figuring things out with Bumblebee. But Starfire was the heart of the team. She held them together. "Look Starfire-dang, I keep forgetting to call you Kori!"

"You may call me Starfire if you wish."

"Right. Well, Star-you're one of my best friends. And yeah, you didn't tell us about this invasion and everyone is pretty upset about that, sure-but we don't want you to leave. We're family." He smiled at her but she still looked unsure.

"But Cyborg, I have asked too much of you! There are other things that you must worry about here on Earth! And…..What if he is correct? What if I cannot be trusted? What if he dies? Or you die? Or-" Starfire sucked in a breath to continue but Cyborg placed finger over her mouth.

"Let me just stop you right there. You almost died for us, like, a gazillion times! You would die for us just like we would for you!" Cyborg took his finger off her mouth as she slowly began to smile. "What about saving Robin when he was Slade's apprentice? Or when Brother Blood tried to use mind control on everyone? Or with Trigon taking over the world? Heck, even when I thought Sarah Sims from that nonprofit asked me out, you were there to save my butt when she turned out to be Cheshire catfishing me." He smiled down at her. "We love you, Kori. And you love us. That's what family does." He snickered. "And that Dick Head especially loves you too. Just give him time and space."

Starfire thrust her arms around Cyborg, crushing him into a hug. "Ohh, thank you, Friend Cyborg! You have up and lifted my spirits!"

The two separated with a smile, then began to load the boxes into the T-ship when the alarm began to blare. Jumping at the scare, Cyborg dropped the last box on his foot. "Oww…"

"Hurry!" Starfire called as she flew into action, out the door and up the stairs to the main room.

"Great…" Cyborg muttered and began to work his way toward the Common Room.

BAAAH! BAAAH! BAAAH! BAAAH!

The team assembled into Common Room, Cyborg dashing after Starfire. He was the last to arrive. Nightwing had already turned off the alarm and was scanning the alert. Beastboy and Raven stood a few feet apart from each other, Beastboy smiling from ear to ear while Raven had a soft smile upon her lips. Starfire floated next to her, landing as far away from Nightwing as possible. "What has happened? My people are leaving this planet."

Nightwing shook his head, gazing at the screen. "No, it's Killer Moth."

"UGGGGGHHHHHH….." The team groaned in unison, beginning to walk away.

"Wow. Our arch enemy. " Raven droned, dripped sarcasm as she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, let's just get a giant bug zapper and be done with it." Beastboy joked, turning into a fly and buzzing around Cyborg's head. Annoyed, Cyborg swatted him away. He turned toward the group and stated, "I'll go. We really don't have time for this-"

"We should all go." The team turned to Nightwing. Reading their blank faces, he backtracked. "We could all blow off some steam." He caught Raven's eye, who pierced her lip in annoyance. _First Starfire, now Raven? How much trouble can he BE in? _"It's just Killer Moth. We shall be back before we have to leave."

Reluctantly, Raven nodded her head. "He's right. Let's go." Opening a portal beneath the team, she descended into darkness, engulfing everyone else.

_I HATE it when she does that! _Cyborg took a deep breath of air as the shadows melted around them into the sunny downtown of Jump City. "A little more heads up next time, Raven?" Cyborg called out to her, shaking his head.

"Sorry." Raven said, not sounding the least bit apologetic. Suddenly, a screech overhead caught all their attention. Pulling up her hood, Raven bantered, "Just because our day wasn't crazy enough." Killer Moth was riding a giant, mutated beast of a moth the size of a school bus. Its wings created a down draft that pushed Starfire to the ground, while causing everyone else to fall to their knees.

"The Teen Titans…why do you still call yourselves that? You are no longer teens." Killer Moth paused then raised his energy whip, striking the poor creature. The creature let out another roar, almost blasting out Cyborg's ear drums.

"Uhh, we are just the Titans now…" Beastboy called, his eyes red from the wind created by the moth's wings.

"No matter! I shall destroy you and take over this city whether you are the Teen Titans or the Young Adult Teen Titans!" He held up a small device and pushed the button on top. "Bow before the power of Killer Moth!"

"Let's just get this over with." Cyborg called. "Titans-GO!" Springing into action, the team began to work together like a well-oiled machine. Beastboy shifted into a pterodactyl, grasped Cyborg by the shoulders, and lifted off into the air. Despite how often the pair used this maneuver, Cyborg's stomach still dropped like a weight. Beastboy began dodging Killer Moth's whip, swinging the cybernetic man side to side. "BB! Get me closer to him-I'll blast him with my sonic cannon." Without responding, (blessings from above because he talked enough as a human,) Beastboy lifted higher into the air. Just as Cyborg got level with him, he felt something attach to his back. Then another something to his leg. Then to his other leg-

Suddenly, the duo dropped as dog-sized moths began to swarm them. BAM! Cyborg landed on the ground with a crunch. _Eww, I squished one. _Powering up his cannon, he fired at the bugs, each either disintegrating or flying away. Finally, Cyborg was free and stood up. "Gross! I got bug guts in my gears." Looking to his left, he noticed Beastboy shaking off as a beagle before shifting into human form.

"Dude-I think I might have accidentally eaten some bug guts! Eww…." He spat out his tongue, shuttering in disgust.

Cyborg looked back up at Raven battling Killer Moth. She had the giant moth encased in her black magic, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Suddenly in a burst of light, the moth turned thousands of moths-the normal sized ones. _Wow, she's getting a lot better with her magic! _Cyborg thought as the moths fluttered around him and Beastboy.

With his ride suddenly gone, Killer Moth dropped like a weight, screaming at the top of his lungs. Just as quickly as he had begun to fall, Raven encased him with her magic and guided him back to the ground.

"Nice going, Rae!" Beastboy called, racing to the empath as she landed. She raised an eyebrow at him, which he baulked and stated, "Raven!" She smiled at him, which caused him to give a goofy smile back.

Rolling his eyes at Beastboy's awkward attempts of flirting, Cyborg turned to jump in to attack the rest of the moth army. "Alright, Raven, take him to jail. BB-let's roll."

"Umm, I don't think we need to." Beastboy called, pointing at the scene taking place in front of them. Cyborg raised his eyebrow, then turned to see Starfire and Nightwing fighting tooth and nail with the moths. Starfire screamed a guttural scream, chasing after the moths. She blasted dozens at the same time. Nightwing, on the other hand, was using cables and grappling hooks to swing from balcony to balcony, kicking and punching each moth that stood in his way.

Both of the Titans were annihilating the moths, their numbers dwindling to just a couple dozen. Starfire used her eye lasers to blast more, punching just as many as she hit with her star bolts. Nightwing's face was pure rage. His nostrils widened as he kicked two bugs at once with a split kick an Olympic gymnast would die for. Cyborg felt nervous watching his friends fight so violently over a few bugs. "Should we stop them, or…"

"Let them get it out of their system. I'm taking him into custody." Raven turned away from the team, casually raising her hand behind her to bring Killer Moth with her. He was screaming but her magic encasement kept them from hearing his annoying chants. One moment later, three police cars and an armored car pulled in, lights flashing. "He's all yours." She floated Killer Moth over to the armored car and released him into the arms of two burly cops.

The moment she let go, Killer Moth began to spew angry insults at the team. "You have not seen the last of Killer Moth. I shall grow an even stronger army-I shall defeat you! Be afraid-you may have won the battle but you will never-" The police cuffed him and slammed the door shut, cutting off whatever else he was going to say.

Cyborg glanced at the time, realizing that it was getting close for them to leave. He looked over at Starfire and Nightwing. Nightwing only had three opponents left. Grabbing his bow staff, he swung and began to beat the bugs like a jujitsu master. Crushing one's face in, he pole vaulted over another, slashing it with a batarang. Finally, only one bug was left. He pounced, sprung off the side of a building, and landed his staff on the poor moth's head. Once it lay still, he stood there breathing raggedly. Starfire looked just as wild-eyed but slowly floated toward her team.

"You done?" Raven asked, looking between her two teammates. Starfire simply nodded while Nightwing straightened up to glare at her. Raven pulled off her hood and glared right back. "Good." She turned to look at Cyborg. "Cyborg-Heads up."

"Wait-" But the world went black again. Darkness engulfed him and he couldn't breathe. Just as he needed a breath, the Common Room materialized around him. Gasping for air, he chided, "Gee, thanks Raven."

Raising an eyebrow, she didn't respond. Beastboy laughed at Cyborg's discomfort, making the man frown. _We'll see who's laughing after our little chat!_ Just as Beastboy was about to say some lame joke, Starfire's communicator went off. Everyone looked around, wondering who was butt-dialing her. No one had their communicator on…

Grabbing her communicator, Starfire opened up the compact to see who is calling her. "Sister? How did you-"

"Your Earth toys are easy to hack." Blackfire's voice droned over the speaker. Cyborg felt a twinge of annoyance. _Calling my communicators toys? I'd like to see you build a gazillion of these to connect heroes all over the world to fight the Brotherhood of Evil. _Glancing at Starfire, he realized now was not the time to make a clever quip. Her eyes stared angrily at the screen.

"Komand'r, is it time?" Starfire stated it like a question but everyone knew the answer.

"Hope you had fun on your little fieldtrip, because that is the last bit of fun you're going to have in a while." Blackfire chirped back. "See you on Tamaran, Little Sister."

**Felt a more light-hearted chapter was in order. Halfway through with the story! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you again for reading and please continue to read and review. Until next time! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Welcome back! Thank you again for reading! Also, special shout out to daniele583 for your review! Thank you so much! Also, thank you everyone who has followed and favorited my story! I really appreciate you guys! Anyway, it's the calm before the storm-get ready. I don't own anything Teen Titans, the characters, stories, or the show. **

**Chapter 8**

**Nightwing's POV**

Space sucks. Literally. It is one giant vacuum of nothingness. Nightwing was glad he was in the front of the ship so he didn't have to see Starfire. It just…It sucked.

The coordinates to Tamaran were preprogramed in, so all Nightwing had to do was sit there and twiddle his thumbs. No one could see his face. And in all honesty, he was glad he didn't see anyone else's. Beastboy had been grinning too much, which meant either he was in the midst of a colossal prank, or something had finally happened between him and Raven. Judging by Raven's slight smile and lessened sarcastic remarks toward the Green Teen, it was most likely the latter. Cyborg was laying his head against the headrest, his eyes closed. Obviously, by the slight furrow in his brow, he was frustrated by the situation between the two as well as worried about the situation at hand. Literally, Nightwing could read his teammates like a textbook. Just like he had been trained.

Then there was Starfire. She had elected to ride with the team, despite seeming to wish to be anywhere but around him. _How could she just dump me like that? She is overreacting and leading with her emotions like usual. _Nightwing rubbed his eyes. Starfire was pure emotion. He was logical to a fault. _Maybe it is better this way. _Stealing a glance behind him, he looked over at her pod. She was gazing off into space, fist supporting her head. Sensing him, she glanced over at Nightwing. The two awkwardly made eye contact, which was quickly broken by her looking down at something in her hands.

Yep. Space. Relationships. Everything sucked.

Turning back around, Nightwing checked the time. A little over an hour until they reach Tamaran. _Great, more time to think. _Try as he might, his brain would not shut down. First, Tamaran threatens then attacks Earth. Second, Starfire breaks up with him because he doesn't trust her? Breathing slowly out his nose, Nightwing checked his emotions. Third, Starfire trusts her sister-who has repeatedly tried to kill her-over her team? Her family? Fourth, Raven, being more logical then him. As always. And lastly, leaving Earth whenever they are most needed. There were too many things going through his head-none of it good.

It just sucked.

If there was one thing that Batman taught him, it was to plan for everything. Every scenario. Every outcome. Every breath. Even planning to plan. If the unexpected happened, then you have to plan for that. That's why he trained 12 hours a day for five years with Bruce. That's also why he left. Nightwing didn't want to become Batman. It wasn't what he asked for, but it was what he was dealt. Though he never told any of his teammates this, he had planned for Tamaran invading. But what he didn't plan for was Starfire siding with them. Rubbing his temples, the ex-sidekick looked in front of him, seeing nothing.

Speaking of Starfire…He understood. He truly did. Loyalty runs deep. The moment Batman asked for something, he was there. There was no question about it. Starfire was the same for her people. There might be a way to have a peace treaty and fix this whole mess…But her people hurt his people and yet she blamed him for not understanding then just breaks up with him? _I'm going down the rabbit hole. Think of something else. Anything else. _

Nightwing sighed, leaning his head back. Closing his eyes, he began to think back to the loading bay just hours earlier. Cyborg was finishing last minute checks on the T-ship before take-off. Engines were purring. Systems seemed to be running study. Nightwing pretended to survey the steering systems, before placing a tiny chip on each member's front panel. _No one should notice these. Hopefully, I won't have to use them. _With a quick roll of his shoulder after placing the last one in Beastboy's pod, he flipped down onto the loading dock. Raven, Beastboy, and Starfire were already there, waiting for the word to go. The empath and changeling were standing abnormally close together, unnatural stoic looks on their faces. _Great, just what I needed-more relationship awkwardness. _"Hold on a sec!" Cyborg called down to the team, as he quickly twisted the wrench to tighten something. "Okay! That'll do it!" After some bangs and a stage whisper swear word, Cyborg landed next to Nightwing. Trying not to let his annoyance show, the team leader turned toward the whole team.

"You know our mission. We have to get in and out, help as much as possible, then get back to Earth. Earth needs us now." Gesturing toward the cybernetic man, Nightwing began his rundown of the plan. "Cyborg has already placed the coordinates to Tamaran on the ship. Each pod has them implanted in case we have to separate like the time we fought that Screech Monster and got lost on that planet." Beastboy opened his mouth to make a joke, but with a weathering look from his leader he quietly closed his mouth abashed. "We have to make this trip as quickly as possible. Tamaran may need us-but we have responsibilities here."

Raven shifted her weight from her left hip to her right, crossing her arms. "Nightwing…" Feeling heat rush to his face, Nightwing recalled their last little chat. _Why does she have to be right all the time? _Still, he couldn't let anyone else get hurt. _Great. I'm turning into Bruce. _"Look…I want to help as much as you guys. But we have to consider that we have people who need us here too. If we abandon them, bad things happen."

"Then we must make with the haste, Leader Nightwing. We must get going if we are to get you back to protect ALL of the Earth." Starfire twirled around on her heel and flew up to her pod. Without a backward glance, she strapped herself in and crossed her arms over her chest.

The whole team looked up at her, each with a different expression between bewildered to amused on their face. Unsurprisingly, it was Beastboy who spoke up first. "Dude, maybe you shouldn't be absolute in everything. I mean-Star has responsibilities on Earth and Tamaran. Sometimes, you gotta go against what you know to be right to be right-ya know?"

"Started strong, ended standard Beastboy." Raven undercut the changeling, whose face grew red. His pointed ears quivered, causing Raven to smirk.

"Whatever, you know what I mean. Let's go kick some extraterrestrial butt!" Morphing into some sort of bird Nightwing had never seen before, he flew up to his pod, Raven levitating after him.

Rolling his eyes, Cyborg murmured, "Just you wait, Green Bean." Nightwing lifted an eyebrow at him but the older man waved a hand at him. "Don't worry about it. Look, Nightwing-before we take off, there is something you should know."

Cyborg. He was truly one of his best friends and second-in-command. Usually if he had something to say, he would say it in front of the team. If he was waiting to get him one on one, there had to be something extremely important. Or it involved Starfire. _In this case-probably both. _Turning toward the cybernetic man, he turned his left side to the ship. It is much harder to read lips in a conversation if both are turned toward the side. Cyborg subconsciously did the same. _Reason Number 27 for leaving Bruce-manipulation becomes dominant over social interaction. _Nightwing felt his face tick but looked up at his friend, hoping he thought it was about Starfire. "What is it, Cyborg?"

"I know you're having a hard time with all this and with Star…just take a second to breathe, man." Cyborg's arm twitched but stayed at his side, for which Nightwing was grateful. Physical touch was not his love language with people-except Starfire. That is her prominent love language. _But not anymore-you aren't together. Get over it, Dick. _

"Thanks, Cyborg, but I am fine. I just-there is a lot going on and-"

"Okay-shut up and listen. Beastboy isn't listening anymore. I could tell he was listening-plus you needed to hear that. So win-win for Cy." Nightwing bristled at Cyborg's words but nodded at him to continue. "Look, I looked into the hack that Blackfire did on Star's communicator. I was able to get past the encryption of the Tamaranean Mothership that was orbiting Earth. From what I could translate from their language, it feels like they are luring us away from Earth. Not to invade!" Cyborg quickly raised his voice at Nightwing's expression. "Just…I don't know. Something doesn't feel right, man. I trust Starfire but…"

"You think it's a trap. Just like Blackfire did on Tamaran last time we were there." Nightwing didn't question him-he also already had planned for this since their fight with Killer Moth less than an hour before. "I have thought of this too. And this peace treaty-something seems off. Star…Kori said they were leaving Earth to go fight, which they probably are. But they might be using this promise of aid and peace to get her to feel comfortable enough to leave Earth and go back to Tamaran."

Cyborg wordlessly nodded to him. Nightwing continued, putting a finger on his chin. "What if this is-"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

An explosion rocked Nightwing back into the present, completely disoriented.

"WE'VE BEEN HIT!" Cyborg cried out, swerving the ship to the left and up. Gripping his controls, Nightwing flipped the switch on his dash that instantly connected the microchips he plantfed in each compartment.

"Evasive maneuvers-I'm taking control of the ship. Stay together! We are almost to Tamaran!" Nightwing called as he shifted gears, looping around to attack.

"What the-"

"You little-"

"NIGHTWING!"

"Seriously?"

Each member of the team called out in frustration as Nightwing took control. "Seriously, dude! You have control issuuuuuuuuuuues!" Beastboy yelped as the ship began to spin, faster and faster, toward three enemy fighters. "Ohh, there are the donuts…"

"Nightwing, I can help!" Starfire began to unbuckle her safety harness. "Open my pod now, please." Nightwing's heart leapt into his throat.

"You can't be serious-Starfire-WAIT!" As soon as the ship stopped spinning, it was facing the three enemy ships. But that didn't matter. She was already floating outside the ship, star bolts primed as she faced the enemies. Though no sound could be heard (due to sucky space), Nightwing could tell she was yelling silent profanities at the ships. "And she's outside the ship."

Starfire went for the middle ship, firing star bolts left and right. The other two circled around her. So, obviously, there was only one thing left to do. "Prepare to fire!" Nightwing called, releasing controls to Cyborg.

Cyborg instantly began firing lasers at the enemy ships, drawing them away from the Starfire. Nightwing barrel rolled then shot straight at the closest ship. Raven put a black shield around the ship, leaving room for the lasers to fire. "Now!" Nightwing called when he could see the faces inside the enemy's pod.

"BOOYAH!" Cyborg cried, throwing his fists in the air as the ship blew up around them. Nightwing guided the ship through the explosion, which was protected by Raven's shield.

"Uhh, guys?" Beastboy's voice rang through the communications. "I think we have visitors!" Nightwing swiveled his head, looking toward the left. Five more ships-wait now there were five more in front. And behind. And to the right.

"Great. So do we surrender, or..." Sarcasm dripped from Raven's voice as Nightwing began to assess the situation. They were surrounded in every direction-even above and below. _What was it that Bruce always said? When in desperate situations, plan for two things. Surrender or fight. And there is no surrender. _

Nightwing pressed the button under his consul. A loud constant pitch of a charging weapon filled his pod. "No. We're going to fight." The high-pitched tone slowly grew louder. _Almost there._ Suddenly, it stopped.

"Uhh, Nightwing-what was that?" Beastboy asked, his usual chuckle absent from his voice. Nightwing just smiled.

ZAP! He pressed the button again and let the hypersonic laser zap the ships. Every ship surrounding them were thrust away in a silver wave of energy, tossing around as if in a dryer. The team watched in awe and silence as the ships slowly began to drift to a stop. A sudden tap on Nightwing's pod caused the team to shriek. Starfire was floating there, her eyes huge in shock.

"Did that just happen? Did what I think actually just happen?" The cybernetic man glanced around at each face, staring as the ships slowly began to charge on. "Uhhh, Nightwing? You got another super weapon you want to whip out? That…wait, was that my sonic tech!?"

"Sorry, that's all I got. We have to shoot every ship one by one-" Nightwing began when suddenly a fleet of small ships began flying around them. Each circled the enemy ships and began firing. As if directed by a symphony, the ships began to blow up one by one. Beastboy whooped in pleasure while Cyborg sighed in relief. Raven just scrunched her brow in confusion and nodded in acceptance. Nightwing glanced at Starfire, who was looking at the ships with a stoic face. It was like she had experienced this before. "Kori?" He called. He knew she couldn't hear him but still he didn't know this…this alien in front of him. He had never really thought of her as alien before, despite all her quirks and limited knowledge of Earth; however, after seeing her show no emotion toward mass destruction and death, this was alien to him.

Another rap of knuckles on the other side of his pod caused everyone to jump again. Turning to see who was there, Nightwing groaned in annoyance. "Seriously, they have got to stop doing that!" Blackfire floated next time him, a smirk on her face. She did a slight bow, as if curtsying a crowd after a performance.

"If she asks for a thank you, I think I'll throw up." Raven growled as she glared at the exiled princess.

"Hate to interrupt but I think we're here!" Everyone turned toward Beastboy's pod and gasped. Behind them was the planet of Tamaran, surrounded by thousands of warships.

Raven accidentally caused a light to explode in her consul, as she stated, "Well, I think for once, you are correct."

**Writing from Nightwing's perspective is extremely hard for me-I'm not sure why! Anyway, each chapter is going to get more and more intense. Hope you enjoyed and thank you again for reading and following and favoriting! Please feel free to comment and review! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Be prepared-things are about to get heavy. Thank you again for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing my story. Hope you guys are enjoying it! I don't own Teen Titans or anything related to the characters, show, stories, or comics. **

**Chapter 9**

**Starfire's POV **

Home. A word with a lot of weight. Starfire stared into the distance at her home planet. But it wasn't her home. Not anymore.

After battling multiple enemy ships at once, Starfire flew into her sister's ship-which was now cruising in stealth mode toward the Nameless One's Command Center. Their ship was cloaked to look like one of the Nameless One's ships-as Raven would say, hiding in plain sight. _I should have been here. I could have done something for my people. _Tamaran was surrounded by an armada of ships, each bigger than the last. It was like thousands of satellites orbited her beloved home world. Satellites with lasers, missiles, and millions of hostile enemies.

Starfire glanced around her surroundings. Her sister's ship was quite…formidable. Each screen controlled a certain aspect of the ship. There were at least 30 separate consuls for weapons alone. At the head of the ship sat her sister in the captain's chair. Blackfire's eyes were narrowed as they entered the landing bay of the Command Ship. Light engulfed their windows, showing high ceilings and brightly painted walls. Starfire blinked. _This is most unexpected. _The alien powerhouse had thought the room would look considerably less…normal. Nameless Ones were hooded in masks and armor as they moved around from ship to ship, assessing the damage done by Nightwing's sonic blast. Shivering, Starfire pictured the smile on his face after he pushed the button. It was so…alien.

"Prepare your weapons." Blackfire ordered, bringing Starfire back into reality. She looked over at her sister and noticed her looking at her. "Try to keep up, Little Sister." The ship landed with a soft thud. Instantly, the bay doors opened. Nightwing, Raven, Beastboy, and Cyborg appeared as the doors opened. They all stood behind Galfore as he moved toward the former princesses. Starfire felt her heart lurch. _Ohhh, what have I done? I should not have asked my friends to do something so dangerous. Nightwing might-_She shook her head. Now was not the time to think about that, much less think about her former boyfriend.

Sounds of tinkering and clangs filled the red-head's ears. Silently gesturing forward, Galfore lead the warriors out of the ship onto the loading bay. Tamaraneans followed directly behind him, then the Titans, and lastly the two Tamaranean princesses. Blackfire winked at her sister as she pasted her. Starfire felt on edge. Something felt wrong. Taking up the rear, she followed the team of 20 out the ship against the walls.

Blackfire dashed in front of Galfore, raising her hand to pause. The only plan they had was to follow her sister to the main command center and inject the biochemicals into the water system of the ship. It would take less than 2 hours for everyone on board to take sick. 'Those organic jellybeans won't know what hit them!' Blackfire had joked, flipping her hair as her eyes flashed. Starfire wanted to trust her sister…but something told her this was wrong. But there was no other choice but to trust her.

The squad went down corridor after corridor yet did not see anyone. After 20 minutes of seeing no one and sneaking around the ship, the team stopped in a secluded living space. Starfire felt her feet hit the floor. With a jolt, she realized she had been tense and floating down the corridor, waiting for a fight to break out. Turning, she noticed her team standing off to the side away from the others. Nightwing had his hands on his utility belt, scrutinizing Blackfire. Cyborg and Beastboy stood off, quietly chatting with solemn faces. Raven was floating over to Starfire.

"You okay?" She asked the alien girl. Giving a weak smile, Starfire nodded at first then slowly began to shake her head. Raven raised an eyebrow. "Want to talk about it?"

Sighing, Starfire folded her hands over her stomach. "Friend Raven, I am…the unsettled. Where are the Nameless Ones? This feels like-"

"A trap." Raven nodded at her, sparing a glance back toward the others. The Tamaraneans seems to be on edge. Turning back to Starfire, she asked, "I trust you, Kori. But do you trust them?" She gestured back toward the small team of 20 and her sister. "I sense something, but…" Raven winced, sweat starting to fall on her face. "Sorry, I am not feeling well." With a grunt, the empath fell to the floor on one knee.

"RAVEN!" Beastboy rushed over to her, helping her sit down on the floor. Starfire realized with a jolt that his hair was plastered to his forehead, his eyes tinged with red. Looking up, she realized that Nightwing and Cyborg were leaning against the wall for support. She took a knee next to her friends, placing a hand on Beastboy's shoulder. He looked at her in a daze as he rested Raven against the wall. The empath was out cold. "What's happening…" Promptly he pitched forward, Starfire catching him and leaning him against the wall as well. The princess glanced over at Cyborg and Nightwing, who were also unconscious. Galfore was being held by 10 of the Tamaranean soldiers. He was straining but obviously was struggling to stay conscious.

"FRIENDS! GALFORE!" Whipping around, she flew into action-to stare down the point of a bayonet laser gun. She stopped suddenly, her eyes almost crossing to keep track of the point less than a hair from her nose. "Sister…What is-"

A nefarious laugh filled the ex-princess' ears. "Oh, you are so easy to fool, little sister." Blackfire floated up to the man, star bolts primed. Rage exploded in Starfire's chest, her hands erupting into blazes as well. "Nah-ah-ah. You wouldn't want your precious Galfore and friends to end up with a worse strain of the virus, now would we?"

Starfire suddenly felt woozy, her eyes beginning to swim. She felt herself fall back onto the ground, her knees give way. "The virus. You weren't planning on using it on them…"

"Pretty and smart. What boy wouldn't want to snatch you up, Kori?" Blackfire cackled, lowering her hands, star bolts aimed at her face. "Now be a good little princess-and go to sleep." Suddenly, something heavy hit the side of Starfire's head and everything went black.

-0000000000000-

_ Oh, I feel as if I was trampled by a rampaging kinkgorf. _Slowly, Starfire opened her eyes. Feeling something cold on her wrists, she began to strain. Quickly, she realized she was bound by her ankles and wrist and waist. _My friends! Galfore! _Starfire began to struggle with all her might. The hinges screeched in protest but no headway was made. "Galfore! Cyborg! Beastboy! Raven! DICK!" As she continued to struggle, she heard something in the distance. Footsteps?

A sliding door swished open. Standing there was no other than-"Komand'r!"

"Feeling comfortable, Kori'andr?" The dark-haired beauty laughed, narrowing her violet eyes. Starfire felt anger, rage, frustration, but most of all-disappointment.

"Why, sister?" Blackfire paused at Starfire's question. "Our people. You said that you wanted to help them, yet you insist on hurting them again and again. What did we ever do to hurt you so?!"

Eyes flashing, Blackfire struck Starfire across the face. "THEY DID NOTHING! THEY CARE NOTHING FOR ME! WHY SHOULD I CARE FOR THEM? Traitors to their own royal family. Casting me out. Worshiping you. I do not hurt them, little sister. They hurt me." She was breathing heavily; a small line of spit fell from her face. Starfire stared at her sister in disbelief. _She has lost the game of marbles! _

Closing her eyes, Starfire assessed her situation. Though the strike hurt, it was nothing she was not used to. Pretending to be hurt could buy her the time she needed to think of an escape. "Sister…you never intended to give the Nameless Ones this virus. You used it on my friends and me." She didn't ask. She knew the answer.

"And here I always thought you were the stupid one." Starfire bristled at her sister's words; however, she was more concerned with how her sister changed her emotions so quickly. She was…the unstable.

"If I am so stupid, then tell me-what do you get out of this?" Starfire popped open her eyes to stare defiantly at her sister. Her sister smirked at the question.

"Why, my basic right to be ruler. I was born to lead-was I not? Princess Komand'r of Tamaran." She began to pace, her eyes shone with a sickly light. Starfire's stomach dropped-her sister seemed crazed with power. She let her sister continue. The more she learned, the more she could use to stop her. "Kori…the Nameless Ones are under my command. Tamaran doesn't want to accept their true leader. With you and Galfore out of the way, the people shall see that I am the one true ruler with unstoppable power."

It all made sense. _She lead us away from the people and from Earth-who would have helped us. The Justice League. The Doom Patrol. My friends. _"If you have no one, why use the Nameless Ones? And why not kill us? Instead you have done the capturing of me and my friends. " Starfire wanted to get the full story. Perhaps if she just keep asking questions…

"No more questions! I kept you alive because I have…other plans for you. Entertainment value. This ship isn't just for war, little sister. You and your little friends will be a demonstration for all of Tamaran to see who their true ruler is!" Suddenly, Blackfire rushed at her, tugging Starfire's head back by her hair. Letting out an involuntary cry, Starfire forced herself to look at her sister's crazed eyes. The dark empress smirked down at her prey. "You shall be the prize jewel of the battlefield. Your blood shall water the arena as you fight to the death. Your beloved Galfore will watch as you choke own your own blood. Your precious friends will slaughter each other for the one spot at my side. Maybe that Robin-what does he go by again-Nightwing? Perhaps he will be my play thing-"

"YOU SHALL DO NO SUCH THING!" Starfire squealed as her sister tightened her grip on her hair.

"And you shall be silent. Or should I cut out your tongue? Your way with words are amusing but it has turned to prattle." Blackfire released her, throwing her back into the floor. Starfire felt pain radiate down her scalp as she gingerly got up. "There. That's a good little princess. Now get up." She pressed a button on her wrist that released Starfire from her binds. Instantly, the warrior princess sprang at her sister-only to be riddled with pain up and down her body. Starfire fell to the floor, howling in pain. "Does that hurt, Kori'andr? If you attack me, I will hit you with this neutralizer that has been implanted into your shackles. If you attack me again-your friends will be treated accordingly."

The pain was so intense, Starfire couldn't put two thoughts together. "No-don't-hurt-them." She grunted as she slowly sat up. Head spinning, she felt her many stomachs lurch as if she had had too many of Raven's pancakes. Panting, she glared at her sister. _She may be your sister-but she is not your family, Kori! _With a shock, she realized that Nightwing was right. Feeling a strong tug on her heart, she wished he was there. And if she was being totally honest with herself, she wished he was still her boyfriend despite their differences.

Blackfire grasped Starfire by the arm, forcing her onto her feet. Starfire saw stars in her eyes but managed to not throw up. "Come. We have an important meeting to attend to." As she was lead (more dragged) along the corridor, Starfire worried for her friends. She didn't open her mouth, worried that if she asked they would hurt them. Without ceremony, a metal sheet was placed over her eyes-which of course cut off her memorizing the path. What few people realized about her is that she could remember any direction or path just by sight. _My sister still is up to her evil ways. _Feeling despair almost take over, Starfire swallowed a shuttering sob when she heard a loud voice in her head.

_"Kori! Kori! Are you alright?" _Starfire jumped. It was Raven!

_"Oh Raven! I am most delighted to know you are alive! ! I…can you hear me?" _

_ "Yes! Just think it. I linked our minds like I did with Dick when he was haunted by Slade's ghost in the dark." _

_ "How do you know his name-" _

_ "Kori. Now is not the time. Everyone knows his name anyway…But are you okay?" _

_ "Yes…I am…mostly undamaged. But my sister-Oh, Raven! Nightwing and Cyborg were right! This is all my fault! I am to blame! My sister is taking over Tamaran and is in charge of the Nameless Ones and it is all my fault-" _

_ "KORI! It isn't your fault. We all trusted her. It was not just you. So, where are you now?" _

Starfire took a deep breath. A sharp jab in her back told her to keep going forward, which she begrudgingly did. _"I am not sure. Is everyone alright? Is Nightwing-" _

_ "He's fine. Everyone is fine. The virus must be similar to the flu. Surprisingly, it has run its course already. We are in a holding cell but otherwise are not sure where we are. My soul self is not able to leave-they have some electromagnetic field that traps it inside. Your sister is most likely to thank for that." _

Biting her lip, Starfire's wheels began to turn in her head. Her sister was most likely leading her to an execution. She didn't want to alarm Raven but was unsure of what else to say. _"Raven…I am being lead somewhere and my sister told me that Galfore and I stand in the way of her ruling over Tamaran." _Raven's thoughts went into a soft buzzing, as if Starfire had suddenly developed tinnitus. _"Raven?" _

_ "Starfire. Where are you. Where are they-" _Suddenly, Raven's voice was cut off as a door slid shut behind the alien princess. A loud roar of cheers enveloped Starfire as a crowd began to chant and hiss at her. The blindfold was removed from her head, temporarily blinding her. Blinking rapidly, Starfire began to assess her surroundings. She was in an arena the size of three battle arenas on Okarra. She looked up to see her sister flying above bowing at the crowd.

"Thank you for coming to the main event! I, I Komand'r, Imperial Ruler of Tamaran, have brought you peace! I have made you one of the most powerful people in the galaxy. I present to you, for the first and last time, Princess Kori'andr of Tamaran!" The crowd roared in approval. Many jeered at her, though it seemed as if the faces were emotionless. Starfire had yet to see the face of the Nameless Ones-but this was not what she was expecting. They looked…humanoid. They could pass as Earthlings aside from their purple skin and third eye. Each looked dead on the outside, their voices loud but their faces void of emotion.

Glancing up at her sister, she noticed her sister looking down at her, a malicious smile crossing her lips. _Why, sister? I have done nothing but love you. _Starfire felt hurt and resentment build in her chest. Whatever was to come, she knew that it would come down to her and her sister. Again…

Noticing Blackfire gesturing toward the left side of the room, Starfire looked to see a section of the arena higher than the rest. It held a large throne, surrounded by female Nameless Ones fanning a large, heavyset male who was seated upon it. His eyes were glazed. Blackfire flew toward him and landed at his feet. She kissed his outreached hand, then moved toward his face.

_WHAT?! _Blackfire kissed his lips! Starfire at first was shocked, realizing that she already was speaking their language…Did they speak Tamaranean? Blackfire than took a vial out of her belt and quickly poured it into his goblet. She must have said something to him but Starfire couldn't hear over the crowd cheering with their eerie blank faces staring at her. Suddenly, the male leader stood up. Instantly, the crowd went silent and stood up as well. The silence startled Starfire, more than any cheering or screams of hatred ever could. He then raised a hand, each member of the audience following suit. Their emotionless faces remained the same… Blackfire continued to address the crowd. "NOW! See who will survive! This mediocre homely princess-or some of the most powerful warriors in the galaxy. TO THE DEATH!"

"TO THE DEATH! TO THE DEATH! TO THE DEATH!" The crowd cheered, first the male leader then the whole arena began to chant. Their voices sounded with hatred but their faces remained emotionless like robots.

With a. gasp, Starfire realized what was happening. These people-these Nameless Ones-were under her sister's control! They had a hive mind! Her sister had somehow manipulated their leader to control them to attack Tamaran! And now-they were about to attack and kill her.

_"RAVEN! PLEASE! I AM NOT SURE IF YOU CAN HEAR ME BUT LISTEN TO ME! THE NAMELESS ONES! THEY HAVE A HIVE MIND! PLEASE! I AM IN AN ARENA! WE MUST-" _Starfire shouted into her mind, when a loud clanging of multiple chains began to sound. Starfire slowly turned to see doors opening to reveal an enemy that her people have never been able to defeat. She slowly began to float in the air, star bolts primed. The chants began to ring, reminding her of Okarra .

"TO THE DEATH! TO THE DEATH! TO THE DEATH!"

**Cliffhanger! MUHAHAHAHA! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Finally, some answers as to what has been going on with this invasion. I hope you enjoyed it and please feel free to review and critic! Thanks for reading! Only four more chapters left! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you again for reading! We are reaching the climax of the story! Hope you enjoy it! I don't own Teen Titans or any of their characters, stories, or products. **

**Daniel583: Glad you like the story and you're right-BvS had a scene like that! Also, I liked Beastboy and Raven as a kid from the cartoon (and the first comics I read with them they were together) so that always is interesting to me. **

**VoodooClown17: Thank you so much! Glad you are enjoying the story! **

**Moving Mountains: So glad! Thank you for your encouragement and glad you have enjoyed reading the story. I loved the series so much as a kid. **

**Chapter 10 **

**Beastboy's POV**

"It just…cut off! I'm not sure if she is unconscious or entered someplace beyond my telepathy." Raven rubbed her temples. Beastboy never told his friends about his sense of smell when he was in human form, but he could smell the sweat coming off her body from the exertion. She opened her eyes, staring right into Beastboy's own. His heart skipped a beat. _Yep. I'm smitten. _Shaking off the thought, he turned (for the billionth time) to assess their situation.

The team and Galfore were locked inside some sort of stasis field enclosed in walls. Galfore kept swearing in Tamaranean, hitting the walls constantly. The others did everything they could but it wouldn't budge. Finally, the team sighed in defeat as Raven worked to contact Starfire. Nightwing kept pacing-and it was driving Beastboy INSANE!

"Dude. She can take care of herself! We'll get outta this!" One thing Beastboy prided himself in was seeing hopeful outcomes. At first it grated everyone's nerves, but now even Raven seemed to appreciate it. "Look, something will come along-" A sudden sound of footsteps pricked his ears.

"Beastboy?" Cyborg called, looking at him in concern. Suddenly, a slot above opened up with piles of slop falling in. A voice called in English, "Better eat up. The Empress wants you strong for the arena. Enjoy your last meal." Beastboy looked back down, catching Raven's eye. He could practically _hear _her glare. _"Don't even think about it. You'll just get killed and I'll have to kill you for that." _Giving her a wink, Beastboy suddenly transformed into the smallest, fastest insect he could think of. The break in the field was already closing!

Zooming up as quickly as possible, Beastboy flew up as a dragonfly toward the opening. Faster. Faster. FASTER. ALMOST THERE…

_YES! LET'S SEE AQUALAD DO THAT! _

Zipping around the guard, he flew around looking for his alien friend. While he was flying, his thoughts slowly began to simplify. Beastboy hated turning into insects. The easier to get squashed and swatted and eaten. Also, the longer he was as an animal, the more animalistic he thought. And dragonflies…well, his brain was the size of nothing with a top hat. What do I need? Food? A nest? No! Focus! Find Starfire!

A group of people walked past. With his bulbous eyes, he could see every angle. It looked like…Starfire! She was bound and blindfolded by some strange metal wrap but seemed otherwise okay. He zipped into her direction. When he was less than two feet away, a guard turned. _Giant! Can't be seen! He will swat me! _Shifting into an even smaller bug, Beastboy became a flea and bounced into Starfire's hair. Burrowing in for the ride, Beastboy began to try to listen to the conversation. Everyone was speaking Tamaranean. _Man, I hate when Cy is right. I should've learned…_Ignoring the conversation, he began to plan. One thing you learn from Nightwing, you have to plan. Man, that guy loves plans. Beastboy preferred naps.

Suddenly, the air shifted around them as if they were entering into another room. A loud roar of a crowd filled their ears. Beastboy almost hopped off Starfire there but managed to hang on. How the heck does a space ship have room for a stadium?! Suddenly, Blackfire's voice boomed in the stadium. _Great. More Tamaranean. Can't anyone speak English around here? _He could feel Starfire get tense and raise up. The crowd was getting louder and louder. Heat radiated off of the princess and suddenly she began shifting left and right. Beastboy clung on to dear life. Was she fighting? _Raven's gonna kill me for this. _Without planning anything, Beastboy jumped off her and morphed into his human form.

And-surprise-he managed to land in the middle of a battle.

"Beastboy?! LOOK OUT!" Starfire tackled him from behind. The two landed hard on the floor, Starfire on top of him. "Friend Beastboy! You are undamaged! Where are the others?"

"Ehh, it's just me right now. Sorry. But they're okay. So looks like you're having fun." Beastboy surveyed his surroundings. Five beefy warriors, both men and women, surrounded them with what looked to be gladiator weapons. Each seemed to be from the same alien race, though Beastboy wasn't exactly up to date on his aliens. Their faces were painted for battle which lined their three eyes, their armor covering all of their bodies. Behind each alien stood gigantic creatures the size of elephants. Each looked to be some mutation of species on Earth-rhinos, crocodiles, centipedes, and even what looked to be a crawfish. "Okay. Got it. What now?"

Starfire helped him up and gave him a quick hug. "We fight. Please, be the careful!"

"Careful is my middle name!"

With a small smile and a quick nod, the alien princess swiveled around and promptly attacked the closest two warriors. The creatures around them roared and charged after the girl. Feeling movement on his back, Beastboy somersaulted forward while morphing into a tiger. He swiped at his attacker, wiping her off her feet. She flipped forward, raising to her feet poised with her sword-like weapon. _Great. I get alien Xena Warrior Princess with the pet centipede. Raven REALLY is gonna kill me. _Beastboy lunged after the warrior but was immediately attacked from his side. Rolling up, he realized he had been hit by the head of the centipede. The woman wasn't signaling it or anything-it just knew what she wanted. The other four warriors were fighting Starfire. _Well, that's a real confidence booster…_

Beastboy felt his bones twist and grow as he morphed into a wooly mammoth. _Ugh. Hot. Gross. Too much hair. Oh well-things are about to get hairy! _With a roar (as well as a twinge of regret no one could hear his joke) he charged the woman. She leapt up off his curved tusk and slammed her feet into his face. Pain racked his mouth but Beastboy swung his trunk, knocking the woman off into the floor. Quickly he charged again, picked her up and threw her against the wall. The centipede, which had been sneaking behind him to attack, suddenly writhed in pain and feel unconscious just like its master. _What the-?_

Quickly, Beastboy whipped around to see Starfire had knocked out one of the male warriors but still had two more and another female attacking her from all sides. She was shooting star bolts left and right, aiming to kill. Beastboy's stomach did a flip. He knew Starfire was a warrior princess that had to fight to survive, but seeing her like this…Shaking his head, he rushed to aid his sister-like friend.

Morphing quickly into his human form, Beastboy nailed one warrior with an upward thrust into the nose, then quickly side-swiped his feet, then morphed into a gorilla and punched his face into the ground. The warrior was out like a light. Two down, three to go. The rhino looking creature was rushing Starfire as she flipped into the air to stay aloft, but its master tackled her and threw her into the wall. Feeling panic, Beastboy realized they were out matched. Letting out a roar and pounding his chest, he rushed as a gorilla to her defense. She was slowly rubbing her head and looking around dazed. "Beastboy?"

He morphed into his human form once again so he could speak. "What's the plan? We got three warriors way out of our league, not to mention their playful pets!" Slowly, Starfire stood up and got into a defensive stance.

"Their minds-these warriors are all Nameless Ones. Their minds are all connected to their ruler." She gestured to a section of the stands where there was a throne with a large Nameless One alien. Beastboy blinked, trying to take everything at once. He looked back at his enemies, who were now circling them to back them against the wall. They were emotionless. Usually when people fight, anger, pride, determination-something was on their face.

"It's a hive…" Beastboy whispered, his eyes dilating. "It's a hive!" He exclaimed again, as one of the warriors lifted his weapon to strike. "Kori! We have to take out the Queen!" The two teammates dodged either way as the iron chain axe extended into the wall. It stuck with a _chink _as the warrior grunted to let it go. The other two faced off, the woman riding her crocodile mutant elephant whatever it was, the man holding onto the leg of his overgrown crawfish.

Beastboy quickly shifted into a T-rex, his head felt like it was going to explode. Shifting from small to big so quickly always gave him a headrush. Backing into the wall to gain his bearings, he roared and charged at the crawfish. He sunk his teeth into the crustacean and a seafood taste entered his mouth. Even though he was a vegetarian, he had to admit that there were some benefits to eating meat. Specifically-Mardi Gras food. Taking it by the neck, he tossed the overgrown mud-crawler into the wall with a smack. The warrior slid off his unconscious creature, double blades raised. Suddenly, a star bolt hit the warrior at full force. He sailed into the air and landed promptly on his butt. Without a second thought, Beastboy shifted into a grizzly bear, swiped the warrior across the head. Soon, he was snoozing.

Starfire thrust her eye beams at the other two warriors, who were now playing more defense. They scattered as their animals charged. Starfire began throwing her star bolts with her hands left and right, causing the animals to below and swerve away. "Friend Beastboy. I do not understand. What is this hive you speak of? It is the Hive Five?" Beastboy opened his mouth to speak but all that came out was a roaring moan. _Duh, you're still a bear Garfield. Glad Raven didn't see that…_

Quickly shifting back into human form, he was grateful for all the combat training Nightwing had put them through to practice without powers. _And Nightwing will never know it. _"A bee hive! They have a hive mind that follows the orders of the queen-or this case the king. So if we take him out-" He tucked into a side roll, popped up and morphed into a tortoise. The crocodile roared as it tried to chow down. Beastboy almost howled in pain. Its teeth were so sharp it almost pierced his shell. It began to shake its head as he shifted into the size of a goldfish. The alien croc's mouth chomped down onto itself as Beastboy was quickly engulfed by its jaws. Before it could swallow, Beastboy shifted into a snapping turtle and bit down hard on its tongue. It released a roar, causing Beastboy to be blown out onto the ground. Starfire had knocked out its master. Only one left.

Beastboy laughed as he shifted back into his human form. "Nice one, if I do say so myself! Let's take 'em down, Kori!" Starfire floated down and stood next to him on the floor.

"Beastboy, this warrior, he is…different from the rest. Stronger. I caution you." She ignited her star bolts, eyes glowing angerly at the man. His emotionless face stared back at them. He almost seemed like a zombie, like he was being…

"Starfire-we can't hurt them! Well-more than we have! We can't kill them!" Beastboy felt panic as he realized what was happening. "The hive mind-he cannot control his actions. Like when Brother Blood controlled everybody! Not everyone is bad-he might help us if we can get free!"

The alien princess paused though she didn't take her eyes off her enemy. All the animals and other warriors had not stirred but otherwise didn't seem seriously damaged. Beastboy could tell she was fighting against her nature. He knew a thing or two about that. "It is my sister." She whispered. Her eyes stayed on the warrior. "My sister has control over him. And he on everyone else. I am feeling the lobstery." She nudged Beastboy back with her foot. Confusion flooded his brain. What was she doing?

"Kori?"

"Go! Free our friends! I will need help to defeat my sister. I have this the handled." She smiled but didn't look at him. Without another word, Beastboy morphed into an eagle and flew toward the throne. There had to be corridors that lead to the arena. And corridors had to go both ways.

_Thank goodness Mad Mod didn't make this-I'd never get out! _Beastboy saw Blackfire scream at him, pointing at guards to shoot him down. He dodged each blast, almost like he knew where they were shooting before they did. The Green Man reached the throne's box. Blackfire was flying toward Starfire, unaware of him. Quick as a flash, he changed into a kimono dragon. Hissing at everyone who neared him, he dashed down the corridor toward the exit. He could hear Starfire and Blackfire duking it out-but this wasn't his fight. The Nameless Ones ignored him and Tamaraneans were nowhere to be seen. Finally, Beastboy was free!

_Aaaaaaand I'm lost. _Beastboy shifted into his normal self, taking stock of where he came from. He didn't see where he came from because he was hidden in Starfire's enormous amounts of hair. Hitting his head, he smiled and morphed into a basset hound. The scent of Nightwing's hair gel filled his nose. _Bingo. _Resisting the urge to bay like the hound he was, he dashed to the left, following the stench. No one stopped him. Actually, no one was there.

By the time he reached his friends, he could hear Cyborg yelling obscenities toward the three Tamaranean guards. After the zombie warriors he just fought, Beastboy felt he could take out anyone. Remembering the alien animal from Tamaran, Beastboy morphed into the behemoth and roared at the guards. The three men screeched and dashed away. Once Beastboy was assured they were gone, he morphed back into himself and called down to his friends. "Your savior has arrived. No need for applause."

"My hero." Raven deadpanned. Though he couldn't see her, he could almost picture the slight smile on her lips.

"Yo BB! Where did you go, man? Why didn't you let us out?" Cyborg called up. Beastboy imagined he was rolling his eyes at him.

"You heard what Raven said-Starfire was in trouble. We were fine so I went to help. Now I'm here. You're welcome by the way!" Beastboy rushed to the control consul…and growled in frustration. "Guys! How do I get you out?"

"First, look to see if there are any neutralizing levers that might reverse the polarity of the beam, then find-" Cyborg began but Nightwing quickly cut him off.

"Just go with your gut. You can't plan everything."

Whoa…Did Nightwing just say you can't plan for everything! Beastboy felt his brain go into shock for a second but quickly shook it off. Right. Okay. Go with his gut…"Eenie. Meenie. Miney. Moe." His finger landed on a small button next to a giant lever. Pressing the button, he first heard something growing like an electric engine. Suddenly, Galfore was heard yelling at him as if he was standing right next to him.

"SHUT IT DOWN, GREEN ONE! NOT THAT ONE!"

"Oh crap! Not moe! Not moe!" Beastboy pressed the button again and sighed in relief as the whirling sound began to die down. "Haha, sorry guys. Let's try this again."

"Are all Earthlings as dumb as him?" He heard Galfore asked. "Depends on the day." Raven droned. Ignoring that comment, Beastboy tried again. "Eenie. Meenie. Miney. Moe!" He landed on a hand shaped press key. "Uhh, guys? What about this press key? It's shaped like a hand…"

Beastboy paused. He couldn't change into other people. He'd tried that before and felt like an idiot. But who wouldn't want to be the blonde guy that played Thor in those superhero movies? Slowly, he removed his glove. _I might not be able to change my human DNA…But what if the DNA I change into isn't…human? _Beastboy closed his eyes and imaged he was Tamaranean. His hand slowly began to morph, his slightly clawed fingers changing into lithe green ones. He placed his hand on the pad and immediately it lit up. The barrier shut down and the dome around his friends collapsed. Beastboy took his hand off and stared at it in amazement. _Whoa. Did I just do what I think I did? _

"Booyah! Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" Cyborg pumped his fist in the air as he dashed forward with the team. Galfore stalked over to the green teen with a look of pure hatred on his face.

"You almost blew us off the face of existence, boy!" He growled as he glared at him.

"Hehe…Sorry?" Beastboy chuckled with his hands in the air. Galfore growled and turned his heel. "Uhh, that's the wrong way-"

"I shall find it myself, Green One." Despite blowing Beastboy off, he turned the other direction and stalked toward the arena. Nightwing patted Beastboy on the shoulder as he walked past. His face was lined with worry. Beastboy knew that was all the praise he was going to get from him, so he just nodded at him to say you're welcome. Nightwing dashed after Galfore, Cyborg right behind him.

Turning around, Beastboy say Raven standing there, her hands on her hips. "That was really stupid, you know.

A canine sticking out from his lip, Beastboy smiled at her. "Yeah, I know." Raven paused as if waiting for him to apologize. "I'm not going to apologize."

"I wasn't expecting one."

She turned to walk away when Beastboy was suddenly filled with dread. What if something happened? Would he be looking like Nightwing, worrying over Starfire, unable to form a complete sentence? What would he do if he never got to tell her? Without thinking, he grabbed her arm. She stiffened but turned back to him. She raised an eyebrow expectantly. "Uhhh…" Beastboy felt heat rise to his face.

"Garfield, now is not the time." Raven had a slight blush on her face too but her face remained stoic. Butterflies flew in his stomach but he nodded in agreement.

"Right. Okay. Let's go help Star!" He turned to leave but she kept hold of his arm. Looking back at her, she had a peculiar look on her face.

"But after all of this…" She gave him a small smile and began gliding after their teammates. Beastboy was in complete shock but felt a dopey smile begin to fill his face. _And who says I'm the hopeful one? _

**Okay, just three more chapters! Crazy! Also, I just love getting into Beastboy's point of view. He is so positive and goofy-it's a blast. Thank you again for reading and hope you enjoyed! Please let me know what you think of the story and any critics you might have. See you soon! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you for reading my story and sticking with me until the end! I hope you have enjoyed it so far! There are still a couple more chapters left-and things are just going to get more and more intense. Hope you enjoy! I don't own anything Teen Titans or Teen Titans related, between the stories, comics, characters, and products. **

**Chapter 11**

**Raven's POV **

_Seriously, Logic? Get yourself together. _Raven mentally chided herself after she ran after her team. _Now is not the time to let feelings get in the way of helping Starfire. _Raven glided after the three men in front of her, Beastboy rushing behind her to catch up. A sound of a dull roar entered their ears. "So, I'm guessing she's not at tea."

Beastboy caught up to the team, his hand 'accidentally' brushing Raven's. She felt her face flare up and was glad her hood already covered her head. They continued to move forward toward what sounded like a Super Bowl game. "Yeah, she's in an arena. We fought these kick-butt warrior people with giant animals and defeated most of them. They have some kind of hive mind where the king guy controls everyone. Star and I realized that they might not be bad, they just might be controlled by Blackfire. Anyway, she told me to come get you so we could help her fight her sister. She had the last guy _the handled._" He did a surprisingly good Starfire impression.

"Well, alright! Let's go kick some alien butt!" Cyborg pumped his hand in the air then caught Galfore's eye. "Present company excluded."

Galfore huffed as three guards spotted them and rushed toward them. He raised his hand and smashed his massive arm into their necks, causing them to collapse. Raven raised an eyebrow and caught Cyborg's eye. _Note to self-don't mess with giant alien warlords. _Continuing forward as if nothing happened, Galfore grunted, "What troubles me is why so many of my people sided with her. If the Nameless Ones are under her spell, then the witch has done something vastly more nefarious to my imperial guard."

The team remained silent, unsure of how to answer. They continued on, following Beastboy's directions and the roar of the crowd until suddenly the were greeted with a wall of sound. Beastboy began to sprint down the corridor, yelling, "Here it is!" As if it wasn't obvious. Raven felt her heart constrict as she rushed forward. At first she was blinded by the lights, but when her eyes adjusted…

"KORI!" Crying out, Nightwing rushed toward the balcony and leapt off. The team quickly followed him-and saw Starfire passed out on the floor, Blackfire's boot on her chest. Raven let out an angry cry, immediately regretting letting out that emotion.

Their leader leapt into action, landing on his feet while tossing a flash disc straight at the exiled princesses. The disc exploded, causing Blackfire to take her foot off her sister as she shielded her eyes. Instantly, Nightwing tackled the black-haired princess. Raven went to go help when suddenly they were surrounded by Tamaranean soldiers. _He can take care of himself. _Beastboy flew around and landed on Raven's shoulder as a parrot. "Titans Go!" He cawed, then flew off into the face of one of the soldiers. Cyborg used his sonic cannon on five soldiers at once. Galfore thrust into battle, swinging his arms while laying waste to multiple men and women at once.

Raven launched herself toward Starfire to heal the alien princess. Two soldiers rushed her, axes raised. Raven muttered her mantra under her breath. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Extending her soul self toward the warriors, black beams engulfed them, forcing them up and into the crowd. The Nameless Ones did nothing but simply move aside and continue their chanting. _Wow. And I thought Beastboy playing video games was mindless. _

Glancing to her left, she saw Cyborg about to be stabbed from behind. Channeling her anger, Raven extended her magic toward him, opening a portal to swallow him whole. The two soldiers he had been battling and the one who was about to stab him from behind collided with a loud smack. All three went down at once, dazed or unconscious. Raven concentrated as she released Cyborg back to back with Nightwing, who was battling Blackfire. He rolled his eyes at Raven (she could practically hear him chide her for not warning him) but shifted his cannon at the girl and shot a soundwave right into her chest. Nodding that they could handle it, she went to help Starfire again.

Only to be stopped. Again.

"Step aside, Witch!" A voice growled as a Tamaranean soldier dropped down from above. Raven quickly rolled to the side to avoid being stomped on. She sliced her hand, reaching out with her magic. It swiped his legs out from under him as he fell on his butt. Suddenly, Galfore stood behind him and tossed him away. His eyes were full of blood lust as he stared down at Raven breathing hard. Something caught her eye behind him, as she raised her hand and smashed five warriors into the wall at the same time. "Call it even." She murmured as she noticed Starfire slowly coming to. She dashed toward her as Beastboy circled round overhead as a hawk.

Raven finally reached the alien princess as he landed next to her and morphed back into himself. "I've got your back! Heal her!" He barked in that weird commanding tone he hadn't had since the Brotherhood of Evil. Attraction welled up in her chest but Raven chided her emotions in her head. _Not the time! Seriously! _She quickly straightened Starfire out, assessing for injuries. It looked to be a couple broken bones and a strong concussion. What could give Starfire a concussion? That had to be intense! Raven began to chant her mantra under her breath, using her healing magic on her best friend. Starfire slowly began to awake and looked dazed at Raven and then around the chaotic arena. Beastboy was now a tiger, swiping at anyone coming near the women. Cyborg and Nightwing were fighting more soldiers than they could count-both Nameless Ones and Tamaraneans. Galfore was now fighting Blackfire, using his brute strength against her star bolts.

Beads of sweat rolled down Raven's forehead from using too much magic as Starfire slowly began to heal. Finally, a hand touched her shoulder. Glancing up, Beastboy was there, a concerned look on his face. "Hey. She's better. Stop." Raven lifted her hands as the magic stopped flowing. Starfire sat up and looked at the two in earnest.

"Thank you, friends. Now, let us stop this meanness!" She flew up from her seated position, wobbled a bit in the air, then continued toward soldiers who were fighting Nightwing. Raven felt exhausted as she watched her friend fight. But she couldn't stop.

Suddenly, Beastboy's hand was yanked from her shoulder, causing her to fall on her back. Turning around, she saw Beastboy shifting into the form of a snake to get out of the grasp of three Nameless Ones. They grabbed him directly underneath his snaky head and forced him to the ground in a choke hold. Their eyes locked and something in Raven broke. An explosion of emotions riddled her mind as she cried out in anger. "AZARATH METRION ZINTHOS!"

Raven always channels her emotions to fight evil. She could channel anger, rage, frustration, and sometimes anger. This was different. This was…love. She had only channeled love once before-to stop her father. And love is powerful. All the soldiers froze, their faces going blank. Each person fighting, whether Tamaranean or Nameless One, seemed to be waking up from a dream. The Nameless Ones released Beastboy, who coughed and slithered away back toward Raven. Shifting back into human form, he rasped, "Whoa! What did you do?" The Tamaranean soldiers seemed to be glancing at one another, calling to each other in their native tongue. Some began to form ranks around Galfore while others seemed to be pointing them at Nightwing, Cyborg, and Starfire.

Wordlessly gapping, Raven realized what happened. "It…You said it was a hive mind. I must have broken their connection." Beastboy glanced at her with amazed eyes. She felt her heart quicken but for once allowed herself to feel it. _Okay. Let's use this. But still, it had to be BEASTBOY?! _She gave him a small smile before realizing that the Nameless Ones seemed to be reverting back to their emotionless states. The Tamaraneans also seemed to be split loyalties between Galfore and Blackfire, though their emotions seemed to be on high. "I only broke the connection for the Tamaraneans. If I can break the connection between the king and the others…"

"Dude! Do it! I got your back!" With a smile and a wink, Beastboy shifted into a giant octopus, grabbing as many Nameless Ones at once as he could and holding them to the ground.

Realizing he had the situation 'the handled', Raven noticed Nightwing and Cyborg fighting with some Tamaranean soldiers against others. It was an outright civil war. Starfire was battling her sister in the air, clashes of light exploding like fireworks. Troops were forming ranks behind Galfore, facing off their brothers and sisters at arms. Everyone had their job. And she knew what she had to do. "Nightwing! Guard me!" She called. Her leader glanced at her, then jumped onto an enemy's shoulders, flipped over him and dashed toward the empath. Cyborg, seeing this, promptly punched another enemy soldier in the face before following suit. The two reached Raven as she posed in a meditative stance.

"Raven. What are you-"

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Without explanation, she focused her newfound power to enter the mind of the leader. Her mind slowed, the world seemed to stop around her. Raven focused her attention onto the beating of her heart-and felt her soul fly. Opening her eyes, Raven realized she was…somewhere different.

The world around her was jumbled and chaotic. There was also a loud humming sound that instantly made her want to bash someone's brains out. Shaking her head for focus, she looked around. First she was standing in a field of purple grass blowing in the wind until suddenly it shifted into a home. And then a bedroom. And then an arena. And then a religious service. The world kept shifting so quickly, she couldn't focus on one thing. _This is nothing like Nightwing's mind… _"Hello?" She called. Nothing looked like Earth, so she had succeeded in at least entering a Nameless One's head. But was it the ruler? "Hello?" She called again.

POOOOOOOOW!

Raven flew forward, falling on her knees. Whipping around, she saw the leader standing there, three eyes glaring at her in hate. "LEAVE THIS PLACE! YOU ARE NOT PART OF THE FAMILY!" He raised his hand and blasted a beam of energy. Reacting without thinking, she blocked the blast with a raised hand, black energy surging through her veins. "LEAVE!"

"I'm here to help you!" Raven called to him. "Please. I can help you-"

"YOU CANNOT HELP ME! SHE PROMISED ME PEACE AND POWER! SHE PROMISED TO HELP ME! ALL LIES!" As normal and humanoid as this Nameless One was, he was powerful in his mind. Raven realized his was the channel that connected all the Nameless Ones. His hurt wasn't just his own-it was his whole people's. _Great. No pressure, Raven. _

Slowly standing to her feet, Raven raised her hands in the air. "I know how much you are hurt. I can't even imagine what pain you and your people have suffered. Let me help you stop her."

"LIES!"

She was blasted into a wall before she could even put up her shields. Fighting in the mind is not something she was used to. Martian Manhunter, Ms. Martian, heck-probably even Zatanna were more qualified than her. But she had to fight. What would they do? A small smile curved onto Raven's stoic face.

Thinking hard, Raven channeled affection and began to imagine he was in a cage. Bars began to form around the king but he blasted each bar away individually. Screaming in anguish, he thrust his hands downward, causing a gigantic building to fall on top of her. Just in the nick of time, Raven enveloped herself into shadows and phased through the walls.

"Okay. Maybe logic isn't the answer." Assessing what to do next, Raven realized what might be helpful. "Ugh, Beastboy and Cyborg better never find out about this." Raising her hands above her head, Raven began to summon the grossest, most deadly weapons of all time.

And stank balls rained from the mental heavens above.

Raven watched in awe as the pungent balls pelleted the king, burying him quickly under unwashed socks, sweaty shirts, and rank underwear. The balls continued to fall until he was completely incased in them. Raven waited ten seconds to see if he came up, but it seemed the fumes of the Titan's dirty laundry had done him in-

"AHHHHHHH!"

_Guess not…_

Raven quickly flipped open her force field as the king sprang at her, suddenly wielding dual battle axes. His purple skin began to turn black and his eyes pure red as he began attacking her. Raven continued to throw her shields up with each hand to block his advances. _How am I getting more physically tired? This is all in his head…isn't it?_ Raven finally blasted energy to throw him off. He had much more practice than her to ward off psychic attacks and battle in someone's mind. What chance did she stand?

"_**What do you mean, don't stand a chance? You're the most powerful person I know!" **_Beastboy's voice rang through her ears. Raven felt her heart swell. _Yep. They REALLY can't learn about what happened in here. _Raven slowly began to levitate off the ground, glaring at the king.

"You want to play? Let's play." Raven raised her hand and enclosed the king's (mental) body into her black magic. "Though I don't always play fair." Twisting her body, she whirled her hands behind her, throwing him into the wall, then the floor, then the stank ball pile. Releasing him, she began to chant her mantra. "Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!" Crying aloud, Raven screeched as her soul self departed from her body in the form of a raven. It enveloped the whole atmosphere, literally taking the king's breath away. He rose, gasping, from the pile of stank balls, clawing for air.

Raven's eyes began to water. The stress was too much…"WAKE UP!" Her shriek resonated throughout the shifting landscape. Suddenly, everything went silent. Raven dropped straight onto her stomach, her power and surroundings gone. The king was gone as well. Slowly, she stood up, staring in awe. She was surrounded by peace. Though everything was dark and empty, it somehow felt…whole. The king was awake. But why was she still in his mind?

"Uhh, can I go now?" She called out, hoping he would hear her. All she heard was a slight breeze rustle her cloak. There were small pricks of light in the distance, like stars in the sky-though they were not constellations Raven recognized. "Hello?"

"THANK YOU, EMPATH!" A voice boomed, shaking the ground around Raven. She began to float up to avoid being shaken, looking around her. The voice seemed to come from everywhere like something from on high speaking down to her. "YOU HAVE HELPED ME. ONCE WE RID OURSELVES OF THAT TEMPTRESS, I SHALL FREE YOU. I AM KEEPING YOU HERE IN CASE SHE TAKES CONTROL."

Raven huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Great. You're welcome. But I'd rather not be held at ransom just so I can help you." A chuckle echoed through the chamber of his mind, rattling her brain. "Oww."

Suddenly, as if a television screen appeared in front of her, Raven saw what the king was seeing. He was standing tall, facing Blackfire with a legion of her loyal followers. He was flanked by other Nameless Ones. Though he wasn't speaking English or any other language she knew, Raven understood everything they were saying. "Witch! You shall pay for what you have done to my people. Bringing war to our doorstep. Betraying our trust and tainting our people's way of life." Raven somehow knew he meant their mind link. "Face me!"

The look of Blackfire's face was downright evil. Her eyes began to glow a bright purple like her star bolts. "You weren't my type anyway." She blasts him with eye beams, seeming to aim directly at the screen. Everything went fuzzy as if it lost connection, then one by one the pricks of light began to go out in his mind.

Raven felt the world slowly growing darker, her mind growing fuzzy. "What…did she…" Struggling to stay conscious, Raven fell to her knees. Suddenly, she couldn't breathe. Gasping for air, she began to suffocate. The world continued to grow dimmer. The last thing she remembered was that if minds were linked, usually it was a chain reaction.

Then everything went black.

**Another cliffhanger! Also, a mind battle is interesting because the human mind is unlimited-but we use so little of our brain it seems we limit ourselves to (mental) physical fighting. Anyway, thought you might like that thought process! Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Only 2 more left! We are so close, people! Thank you again for reading and hope you enjoyed the story! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Welcome back! Thank you again for reading and commenting and following my story. I hope you have been enjoying it so far. We are almost to the finish line, folks! Last time we left off where Raven was stuck in the Nameless Ones' King's mind, Blackfire and her loyal Tamaraneans were fighting Starfire and the other Tamaranean soldiers, and Blackfire just blasted the King. Anyway, I don't own Teen Titans or anything related to them. Hope you enjoy! **

**VoodoClown17: It was pretty fun to write about a psychic battle! So glad you liked it! Thanks for the encouragement!**

**Chapter 12**

**Nightwing's POV **

The world was in chaos. Nightwing was used to hectic situations but this was something else entirely. First he was fighting Blackfire. Then Tamaranean soldiers. Then Nameless Ones. Then somehow Blackfire again. Then more Tamaranean soldiers.

Until the Nameless Ones all stopped, dropping their weapons. The crowd went silent, only grunts and cries of pain echoing throughout the arena. Nightwing whipped out his batons, whirling them in his hands before striking the three prime weak spots of the Tamaranean in from of him. Exposed throat, CRACK! Behind the knees, WHACK! And base of the neck, WHAM! He went down like a rock. Glancing around him, Nightwing realized that Raven was still meditating behind him. Black energy was crackling around her like the beginnings of a thunderstorm. She was fine for the moment. Whirling around, he braced for the next attack-and no one was there.

Nameless Ones were walking around in a daze, the crowd blinking and a low murmur rising around them like a hive. Looking up, Nightwing realized that the remaining Tamaranean soldiers were forming ranks around Blackfire. Starfire dropped down from above, standing in front of her friends defensively. Nightwing noted her stance-defiant, strong, fierce. His heart leapt but he worked to squelch it. They had a job to do. _Cool it, Dick. _Galfore pulled up behind Raven, facing for an attack that could come at any moment from behind. Cyborg pulled up next to him, priming his sonic cannon. "I'm almost out of juice." He sighed while Beastboy swooped in and dropped next to him as well.

"Dude, check out the King guy!" He gestured toward the standoff between Blackfire and her troops squaring off with a hoard of Nameless Ones and the King. Despite being robotic and emotionless people, the Nameless Ones were obviously expressive now that they had control of their facilities. He was screaming at the top of his lungs in his native language. Blackfire laughed humorlessly and spit something at him in Tamaranean, her hands primed to fire. Before anyone could react-

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

Pandemonium flooded the stadium. Raven screamed in pain, her body contorting as she landed on the ground. Beastboy jumped to her side, his eyes wide with panic. _What is going on? I didn't plan for this! _Nightwing felt his heart constrict as he saw every Nameless One drop as if dead. Raven spasmed on the floor but slowed to shallow breathing. Beastboy was shaking her, holding her head and working to make sure she didn't bite her tongue. He caught Nightwing's eye, terror over his face. "She's gotta be okay! She's gotta be…" He looked back at her, his eyes starting to brim with tears. Starfire fell onto her knees next to the empath, her hands shaking as she checked her vitals.

"She lives, Friend Beastboy. She is just the unconscious." Starfire looked up at her sister, who was smirking down at the small team of six. "My sister will pay for this." Nightwing felt his gut twist seeing the woman he loved filled with such hatred and anger. Starfire was filled with joy, love, kindness-never hatred. _Is she still there? Or like Bruce, did I drive her away with my emotions? Or…did I change her? _Nightwing shook his head. Now was not the time to have an existential crisis. They had another crisis to deal with.

"Cyborg, what happened to the Nameless Ones?"

Cyborg had been going around, checking the aliens' vitals as best as he could. He sighed and straightened up. "I don't know man…But I think they're all dead."

"It was the hive mind…" Beastboy croaked, not taking his eyes off Raven. Nightwing realized that this would be extremely hard for the green man-he already lost one girl he loved to death, he couldn't lose another. "Th-they are all connected when the King was killed. And Raven, she…" He choked but shook his head. "She's alive. We gotta get her out of here!"

Glancing up, Nightwing realized he was right. This wasn't over. While they had been assessing the genocide of the Nameless Ones, Blackfire had been directing her loyal troops to circle the small team. Galfore had completely ignored the Titans, barking orders at the other Tamaranean troops who stood by the royal family. They formed ranks around the team, making a circle to defend Starfire. Starfire had risen above the team, squaring off with her sister. _Starfire is a seasoned warrior. _Realizing what he needed to say, Nightwing called out to her. "Kori!" She turned her head, her eyes ablaze and angry. Her face didn't soften when she looked at him. She was primed for war. She had been hurt too many times-and he realized quite a bit of it was by him. "Kori…I trust you."

A weight Nightwing didn't realize was on his chest suddenly released, matching the expression on the alien princess' face. Her face relaxed, a soft smile graced it and she merely nodded before turning back to her sister. And Nightwing realized whatever happened, whether they all came out of this alive-he loved and trusted her and that would never change. Channeling his emotions, Nightwing grabbed his batons and raised one above his head, the other lowered near his hip. "Beastboy-take care of Raven." _Probably didn't have to tell him that. _Beastboy wordlessly morphed into a gorilla, cradled the empath in one arm while holding a fighting stance with the other.

"Let's go kick some alien-" Cyborg called when in sequence the enemy Tamaraneans charged, crying out some alien battle cry all at once. Galfore called out to his troops where they clashed midair in battle. Cyborg blasted a solider off Galfore's back, while Beastboy bashed one in the face, cradling Raven close to his body. Nightwing instantly leapt into battle, facing off with three aliens at once. _Perfect. Time for the Gamma Maneuver. _Nightwing fell onto his back and rolled into a back-spring. Kicking his legs up with the upward motion, he used his arms to push himself farther, thrusting his legs into the stomach of an enemy Tamaranean. Rolling to top of his enemy, he grabbed him by the shoulders and heaved him into a standing position. Another Tamaranean was coming just at that moment and nailed the guy in the face, rendering him unconscious. One second too late, the second soldier realized what had happened as Nightwing brought he baton across his throat and the second across the back of the head. Both were out like a light. _Works every time. _

Smirking, Nightwing turned to see Cyborg fighting three soldiers at once. He flipped the screen on his arm to type in something as he used his boot rocket to shoot one soldier in the face. A smell of ozone filled the air as Cyborg literally seemed to glow brighter. ZAM! An electric buzz zapped the air and all three soldiers went down, not getting up anytime soon. "Now that's what I'm talking about. Yo Nightwing-next time you use my tech on spaceships, make sure I get to use it first!" The cybernetic man flashed a smile at Nightwing. It seemed they might have the upper hand at last, when suddenly he is swooped off his feet.

"NIGHTWING!" Cyborg called as the ground began to rush away. Nightwing tried not to panic. He had been trained many times what to do if an opponent with flight abilities was to take him into the air. _Let's play. _Going limp would do nothing to help him, Tamaraneans were strong so deadweight would do nothing to them. Second option-play dirty. Feeling the hands on his shoulders, he grasped a finger and cracked it like a carrot. A howl filled his ears-_And the ground is getting closer…_

BAM! Nightwing rolled into the fall, absorbing as much of the impact as he could. He popped into a fighting stance and immediately regretted it. _My ankle. It's broken. Great…_Sucking up his pain, he tried to take a step but stumbled, arms waving wildly to overcompensate. Barely managing to stay standing, he glared back up at his enemy. "Blackfire." He mumbled under his breath. Straining to seem nonchalant, he called up to the dark princess. "Is that not enough for you? You've killed a whole empire! Every single one of those people are dead!"

She floated closer to him, staying out of his reach. A small smile parted her lips. "Please. They were literally called the Nameless Ones! No one cares what happened to them." She glanced over at the scene, where her troops were down to their last few soldiers. Most were either captured or unconscious by the loyal troops and the Titans. Beastboy was back in his human form, trying to make sure Raven was away from the battle. "Shame that little goth witch didn't die though…Still, maybe there's a way to kill two birds with one stone." Blackfire suddenly reared up her hand, blasting a star bolt straight at Nightwing. Even with a good ankle, he wouldn't be able to dodge it. _I'm sorry Starfire…_

"WHAT?!" Blackfire's cry filled the arena, echoing over and over.

Nightwing looked back up and saw the most beautiful sight in the world. Starfire was floating in front of him, both hands ablaze in green, pushing together what looked to be purple lightning in between her star bolts. "YOU SHALL NOT HURT MY NIGHTWING!" With a cry, the alien princess flung her hands in front of her, shooting the star bolt back at her sister. Blackfire flung back into the air, slamming into the throne on top of the poor emperor's body.

"Kori! You're okay!" Nightwing called. She turned and flew down to him just as Cyborg and Galfore raced over. Beastboy, back in gorilla form, dashed over with Raven still unconscious in his arms. Color was slowly returning to her gray face but otherwise she still was unresponsive.

"Dick! I mean… Yes, I am the okay. You are damaged." She gestured toward his ankle as Cyborg gently had him sit on the floor. He examined the ankle, shaking his head at his leader.

"Yep. Definitely broken. As long as Nosyarg Kcid doesn't come back like with your broken arm, you should be fine." Rolling his eyes at Cyborg's comment, he realized he had blocked out his Mini-Me from another dimension. Cyborg took hold of his ankle and gently rested it on the ground. "Sorry, man. It will set wrong. Guess I'm gonna have to-"

SNAP! Nightwing sucked in a breath as Cyborg reset his ankle without warning. "Booyah." Cyborg finished with a smirk as Nightwing counted to twenty to keep from passing out. _Seriously, is he a sadist?_

"Thanks for the warning." Taking shallow breaths, he looked over to Beastboy and Raven. Her breath was shallow and her skin ashen-well, more so than usual. "How is she doing?"

Turning back into his human form, Beastboy shook his head. "I don't know, man. She hasn't gone into her healing trance yet. I…" He took a shuttering breath but looked at him. "She'll be fine. So, what do we do-"

"INFIDELS!" An eruption of purple blasted from the throne, rocks and bits of metal flying in every direction. Blackfire emerged from the ruins, pushing off a body that had landed on top of her. Nightwing felt everyone tense up beside him. Starfire stared in disbelief at her sister. "I WILL KILL YOU ALL! ONCE I AM DONE-I SHALL RULE THE GALAXY WITH MY TAMARANEAN ARMY!"

"Let's do this! BB, you-" Cyborg started but Nightwing cut him off.

"No. This is Kori's fight." Nightwing felt it in his heart. Starfire glanced at him, her eyes shining with approval. He realized that sometimes you couldn't always plan. Or be in charge. You had to trust and go with your gut. _And that's why I left Bruce. I trusted my gut. And I trust my love in Kori. _"I trust you." He whispered. Smiling at him, she quickly turned toward her sister. Nightwing felt the urge to help her but realized this wasn't his fight. "Kick her ass."

Blackfire flew toward Starfire, star bolts primed and ready to go. Starfire met her full force, her hands glowing green. As the two sisters met in the sky, the world exploded. Lowering his arm he used to shield his eyes, Nightwing took the whole fight in small segments. He knew Starfire was fast but had never seen her fight this naturally before. He couldn't take it all in. This was a goddess fighting, not some alien. Starfire seemed to radiate power as she began to fight her sister. Sometimes Nightwing would catch glimpses of the fight through the bright lights of the star bolts impacting against each other. First Starfire would blast her sister with an eyebeam. Blackfire pulled back Starfire's hair and kicked her in the back. Starfire took her sister by the ankle and threw her toward the wall while shooting a star bolt at her. Blackfire tackled her and wrapped her arms around her stomach while plummeting toward the ground.

It was all happening so quickly, it was almost like they were moving at light speed. Galfore clenched his fist next to Nightwing's head and growled. "Don't hold back, my little bumgrof." Nightwing blinked. She was holding back? _I always knew she was an alien but how is she holding back? Is she more human on the inside than I am? _Finally, Starfire and Blackfire were taking a break, staring at each other in the air, breathing heavily. Both women seemed to be scratched and torn in some way or another.

"Had enough, Little Sister?"

"There has not been enough to have, Komand'r!" Starfire floated slightly closer to her sister. "Please, I beg you. You are not well, sister. There is no more need for the killing. Let us be sisters again."

Blackfire laughed, insanity slowly creeping into her voice. "Sisters? Please-you are not my sister, just some insignificant worm that I have similar genetic material to. You are beneath me. And you can never beat me-you wouldn't dear hurt your dear, big-"

Without warning, Starfire blasted Blackfire into some seats in the stadium. She blasted herself toward the dark-haired princess, slamming her fists into her sister's chest, then began to beat her over and over. Her hands began to glow, tears streaming down her face. She lifted her hand, star bolt primed right above her sister's face. "Please, sister. Yield."

"Never."

With a cry of pain, Starfire's star bolt blasted the area. Dust rose from the seats, silence filling the air. Everyone stood up, Nightwing completely forgot about his broken ankle and immediately fell over into Cyborg's arm. The dust began to settle. Was she okay? Did she really kill Blackfire? Finally, the air cleared and Starfire was floating toward them, tears on her face. Blackfire lay on the stadium stairs, unmoving.

Starfire flew over toward her friends. She looked at everyone in turn, her eyes finally resting on Nightwing. His heart leapt with their contact. Her eyes said it all. "You couldn't do it." He murmured as her face contorted.

"I am sorry, my friends. But she is my sister. My blood. I couldn't-" As Starfire began to sob, Galfore softly walked up to her and pulled her into a hug. Starfire finally released all the emotions she had been bottling up the past few weeks, her heart breaking. Nightwing realized he understood-she didn't just have one loyalty. She had loyalty to Earth and her people. And loyalty comes down to love. _How could I make her choose? _Watching the scene, he realized what must be done. He just let her cry.

-00000000000000000-

After calling the Galactic Police, who took away the rebel Tamaraneans and Blackfire to containment cells for medical treatment and punishment, the team gathered together. Raven had finally woken up (much to Beastboy's relief) but was hazy on what exactly happened in her mind. She seemed truly sickened by the fact that the King's death caused every Nameless One to die as she gazed at each body being taken away. Cyborg took Beastboy aside to talk about something. Though Nightwing couldn't exactly tell what was being said, Beastboy's reaction of sputtering and violent hand gestured left little to the imagination.

Galfore discussed the situation with the Galactic Police, his eyes never leaving the disloyal troops as they were marched out in binds and power inhibitor collars. He growled at the Police alien who touched his shoulder to get his attention, causing him to shrink back in fear at the Tamaranean Emperor.

"May I speak with you, Nightwing?" Hearing the soft voice call his name caused his heart to flutter. Turning around, he saw Starfire standing behind him, her arms clasped behind her back. Her lip was split, bruises covering her body. Her eyes were rimmed with green from crying.

"Of course." He hobbled over to her (Cyborg had put a nice splint where he could walk around on his ankle,) as she directed him toward a corner of the arena that wasn't occupied by soldiers, police, or awkward birds and bees conversations. "Kori…You were amazing today. You could have…I'm sorry how much I hurt you. Please…forgive me."

Starfire closed her eyes, a small smile gracing her face, before she opened them again to look him in the eye. She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "You are forgiven. But…I still cannot be with you. I love you, Dick, but my loyalties lie elsewhere now. I will require the time." She looked toward her people either in chains or standing guard. Turning back to him, she had a melancholy smile. "I am sorry for deceiving you as well. Thank you for trusting me and believing in me…Come, I must speak with everyone." Walking off, Nightwing felt empty. _That was a short conversation. What did I expect-her to come back to me with open arms and -wait, what did she mean her loyalties lie elsewhere? _

"Kori!" Nightwing chased after her as she gathered the team around. Raven stood shakily next to her friend, her hood down and eyes seeming tired. Beastboy stood three feet away from her, his form rigid and tense while Cyborg had a smile grin of victory on his face. As he finally caught up with the team, Starfire quickly turned to everyone.

"My friends…I cannot thank you enough for helping my people and believing in me. You did the impossible and for that I am eternally grateful." She paused as she looked everyone in the eye, avoiding Nightwing's gaze.

"Well, we did kick some bad-guy butt, save your planet, and all in a day's work! High five!" Cyborg lifted his hand which the alien princess reluctantly returned. He paused as he took in her expression. "Sorry, I should have realized how hard this is for you, Star…"

Shaking her head, she smiled at him. "Yes, I feel for the Nameless Ones. They shall no longer be called that. They shall be called the Family because of their dedication to each other and dying together to fight my sister." She paused. Nightwing knew what she was about to say. _Please don't Starfire. _"However, that is not what truly troubles me. My friends, you are my family. But my people-I must help them. I will…be taking the absence of leave." Nightwing's heart broke. He looked at his friends to see their reactions. Cyborg instantly lost his grin, Beastboy perked up with a look of horror on his face but Raven simply nodded.

"You must do what is best for your people. We will miss you." Starfire rushed and grabbed Raven into a deep hug. Raven surprisingly returned it, a small frown on face as if she was chiding herself to not cry. After she was released the empath, Raven coughed and rubbed her head. She obviously was still dizzy from her telepathic encounter.

Beastboy ran up to Starfire and placed a hand on her shoulder. Since they had finally reached the same height, it was surreal to see his ex-girlfriend and little brother standing at eye levels, just comforting each other. "Yeah, gonna miss you. When you come back, better bring presents!" He hugged her tightly but let go just as quickly, warily eyeing Cyborg.

Last but not least, Cyborg walked up to her and pulled her close. He didn't say a word. Nightwing was always confused as to how the two were so close. Cyborg had a bond with both Raven and Starfire that he could never understand. Finally, it was his turn. Starfire turned toward him, opened her mouth, then just awkwardly waved and began to float away.

"Goodbye, friends. I will return! With all the presents!" Her smile faltered as she turned her back and began floating away.

Nightwing felt…"What?!" The three turned toward their leader after he exclaimed out loud. Without looking at any of them, he dashed after the alien princess down the hallway. He ignored the pain coursing through his body from his ankle. Though it was a hobble, Starfire wasn't exactly speeding off. He slowly made headway, thanks in no small part to all the alien police and Tamaraneans were gone. The bodies of the Nameless Ones were still being carted out by machines, zooming to avoid Nightwing as he dashed after Starfire. "Kori! Wait!"

Not turning to face him, she paused as her feet fell to the floor. "Please. Do not make this harder than it already is, Dick. I cannot face another goodbye."

"Then don't say goodbye. Just see you later!"

Turning to face him, she paused and looked him straight in the eye. Nightwing felt his heart leap into his chest. _Don't mess this up, Dick! _"Look, Kori. I still love you too. And I know we aren't together and we won't be together right now, but we can still have a relationship in the future. It may not even be dating. But I can't imagine my life without you. You're my family."

Starfire blinked twice, her eyes wide in awe. Nightwing felt subconscious. He never usually laid out his feelings like that. Well, the positive ones anyone. _Definitely not like Bruce. _He took a step toward her and took her hand in his. Starfire looked down at their hands and slowly slid hers away.

"I am…sorry. I should have said goodbye." She slowly pulled him into a hug, though it wasn't her typical warm embrace. It was distant and unsure. As she let go, she kept her hands on his shoulders. "I mean-see you later."

She let go and began to drift toward the hanger bay, where the Tamaranean ships were waiting for her. She smiled at Nightwing. "I will see you again. Goodbye."

"Yeah. Good luck." Nightwing watched as she crossed her arms around her waist and turned away from him, not looking back once. "See you…"

**Just one more chapter left. Hope you enjoyed the climax of the story! (I know it was pretty long!) It was pretty intense there for a moment! I also felt that Robin always stole the spotlight in the show, so him taking a step back and allowing others to do their thing was something that needed to be done. Thank you for reading and following my story! Please let me know what you thought of it! **


	13. Chapter 13

**We made it guys-last chapter. Thank you so much for sticking with me through it all and all your reviews, comments, favorites, follows, but most importantly-your willingness to read a story by a new writer. I don't own anything Teen Titans or anything affiliated with the show. Thank you again and hope you have enjoyed the ride! **

**Chapter 13 **

**Starfire's POV **

Time seemed to have run its course. While there was no certainty, her people would live and were safe under the care of Galfore. Starfire sighed as she neared the Earth. So much had changed-she wasn't even sure how long she had been gone. Would her friends remember her? Had they replaced her? What was Nightwing doing? Her nerves began to vibrate and she finally took a deep breath as she entered the atmosphere. Oxygen flooded her lungs as all her emotions and memories crashed through her mind.

She thought back to the messages she had received from her friends-mostly from Raven-over the past moon cycles. Raven always made sure she was up to date with the latest information, regardless if Starfire had the time to answer her. Raven. Oh, had she finally grown out her hair like she kept saying she would? Had her and Beastboy _finally _confessed their feelings for one another? Had she talked to Nightwing about her messages? Starfire smiled as she thought back to the last message she had received.

_"Hey Kori. How are you? We are fine here on Earth. Things have been still taking their time with the United Nations on the Alien Registration Act. Superman and Martian Manhunter are both acting as liaisons, stating it is unjust. They say you are still welcome if you decide to return to help fight for alien rights as well as educate the Earth on alien affairs. The ARA is still up for debate, though our inside source for the government, Diana Prince, has been working hard to help…" Raven paused, nervously twisting her fingers in her hair. "You know that talking doesn't come easy for me, especially…about emotions. But it has been hard without you. We miss you every day. I miss you. And…so does he. He goes and stands at your door every day." She glanced over her shoulder at something Starfire wasn't able to see. The empath sighed in annoyance, now glowering back at the camera. "Anyway, the world still is nervous. They do not know that Tamaran attacked and we are planning to keep it that way. We have convinced them that the Nameless Ones…The Family were being mind-controlled by an enemy group who has now been defeated-they just don't know by who." Guilt radiated off her face. Starfire knew she was having a difficult time adjusting to being connected to the Family after their genocide. She had survivors guilt. Starfire knew that all too well too. " Anyway…we miss you. Hope everything is going well for you." Raven reached up and turned off a switch, the screen going blank. _

Starfire still thought about that message, even though it was over three moon cycles old. She appreciated Raven for trying to reach out to her. She knew that talking for that long wasn't easy for her empathic friend. Suddenly, a break in the clouds startled Starfire out of her daydream. A giant T-shaped building on an island entered her view. Her heart leapt for joy-as well as with fear. _Oh, how will they react? How will he? _

Noticing a small glint near her window, Starfire zoomed over to it. Pressing her hand against the panel, the window opened as she flew inside. Her room…Nothing had change-yet everything had changed. Glancing around her, she noticed that her desk was slightly dusty but the room had been recently cleaned. Most likely by Raven, though it must have been a while ago because she was originally going to come back a few weeks ago. She had only sent the transmission yesterday of her return to Earth…

She dropped her bags on the floor, flopped on her back on the bed, and stared up at the pictures on her ceiling. Straightening up, Starfire looked-there were new pictures! There was one of Cyborg with Bumblebee, his arm around her shoulders. Another with the whole team smiling-even Raven. _She did grow out her hair! Oh, she looks most adorable! _There were other random ones of the team and Titans East, though no individual ones of Nightwing. Swallowing her disappointment, she just appreciated the thought. They wanted to make sure she didn't feel left out and was caught up on everything since she had been gone. But for how long?...

Getting back up, Starfire opened her door and began to walk toward the Common Room. It was so surreal being surrounded by her home-everything felt nostalgic and smaller than she remembered. Finally reaching the Common Room, she opened the door to see "CYBORG!" Before the cybernetic man had a chance to turn, she had tackled him in a tight, warm hug. "OH FRIEND CYBORG! HOW MUCH I HAVE MISSED YOU! HAVE YOU THE MISSED ME? PLEASE-TELL ME EVERYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE I WAS AWAY! HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN? HAVE VILLIANS BEEN THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE WHILE I WAS GONE?" Her heart felt like it was going to explode. She hadn't realized how much she missed and loved her friend. She opened her eyes and realized he was smiling but his air flow was cut off. "Oh, I am sorry!"

Wiggling his way out of her grasp, he smiled at her as he took a couple deep breaths. "Star! I mean-Kori! Wow, I can't believe it! We didn't think you would be here until later today…" He gestured behind him, showing her decorations and a banner that read 'Welcome Home Kori'andr!" Bags of chips and cookies littered the counter and the aroma of a cake baking tickled Starfire's nose. "Uhh, welcome home…" Starfire smiled as she grasped his hand in hers. She had truly missed moments like this.

"Thank you! Sorry for my enthusiasm. I have been the lonely without my friends…My family." She paused, feeling a tug on her heart to say what she had been feeling. "Cyborg…Victor, I have to give you thanks. For everything. You always believed in me and stood by me. You are my family. My brother. I have been meaning to do the telling to you but I just couldn't find the right time or moment-" Suddenly, Cyborg wrapped his arms around Starfire, cutting her off. Feeling something wet on the top of her head, she realized Cyborg was crying.

"Love you too." He pulled away and began rubbing his eye as if something was in it. "So, you have been gone a while. It's been over a year…"

"A YEAR?!"

Waving his hands in front of him in defense, he practically shouted, "Whoa! It's no big deal. We get it! Just-a lot has changed. I mean…" He paused and began pulling something out of a compartment in his chest. He pulled out a small box and showed it to the alien princess. Unsure what it was, she raised an eyebrow in confusion. Noting her confusion, he smiled bashfully and opened it to reveal a small diamond ring. "Bumblebee and I have been going pretty strong and well, we were decided to do this so you could be there tonight. She doesn't know it is gonna happen tonight but-"

"EEEEEEEEEPPPPP!" Starfire flew into the air, doing a triple backflip. "OH JOY! I SHALL SING FOR YOU THE ODE OF-" Cyborg began laughing, which caused Starfire to bashfully stop though a giddy smile stayed on her lips. "My apologizes. My lips shall be the sealed! Oh, thank you for waiting for me for this joyous occasion. I shall never forget this-and I will try to stay calm." Suddenly, a rock fell in her heart. _This was what Nightwing and I used to discuss-getting engaged, marrying, starting a family…Oh, Kori'andr. Stop, this is not your moment. _Forcing a bright smile she hoped would pass as natural on her face, she smiled at him. "Victor, may I ask where…everyone else is?"

Glancing at the screen, he noticed three dots located at the Tower. "They are all here and outside. Titans East will be coming later this afternoon." Noticing his little sister blanch, he decided to make light of the situation. "Arsenal has been asking about you. He got a new hairdo and wants to see if you can trade styling techniques."

Laughing awkwardly, Starfire dodged the question. "I shall look for our friends! And Cyborg-thank you."

"Glad you're back, Kori."

Floating away, she went up to the roof. Possibly Nightwing would be there. _Dick and I would always have the most wonderful discussions here. Maybe he came to wait for me! Or-_

The sight that welcomed her almost broke her mind. _Is this really happening? _The sight that greeted her was Raven seated next to Beastboy, her head on his shoulder as their feet dangled off the edge. Beastboy murmured something and Raven gave a chuckle. _Raven? Laughing?! _Raven turned toward him and gave him a kiss right on the lips. It was chaste, but it was enough for Starfire to begin to squeal in glee.

"YOU ARE THE TOGETHER!" Raven and Beastboy jerked apart, Beastboy accidentally morphing into a cat that screeched in surprise. Standing up quickly, (Beastboy back in human form) the pair both looked startled around themselves. Beastboy seemed to be the first to realize it was Starfire floating in shock near the door.

"STARFIRE! YOU'RE BACK!" Beastboy dashed toward the alien princess and crushed her in a hug. Starfire returned it with fervor, startled to realize Beastboy was now taller than her. "How have you been? Did you fix Tamaran? Did Blackfire go to alien jail in some maximum prison in a cool asteroid detention center with lasers pointed at her?" He released his friend, a fang poking out from his lower lip. Amused, Starfire smiled back

"Garfield, you can't _fix_ a planet." Raven droned but floated up to Starfire and gave her a small hug. Starfire's heart leapt with surprise at Raven's show of physical affection. _Perhaps a romantic relationship has helped her with her emotions and powers! _

"Oh, glorious to see you again, Friend Beastboy! And Raven, I am overjoyed to see you as well!" She placed a hand on both of her friends' shoulders. "Yes, Blackfire is detained in a prison with a constant watch by the guard. I am unsure about the lasers though…" She paused and playfully glared at Raven. "Raven, you have kept the secrets from me. How could you not mention your relationship with Beastboy?"

Raven shrugged her shoulders, tugging at her hood. Beastboy smiled at her as he gently took her hand in his. He answered for her. "She wanted to keep it low key. Cyborg HATES it-he told me he would beat me into a pulp if I ever hurt her."

"He'd have to get in line." Raven gave a small smile at him then turned to Starfire. "Did you get our messages?"

"Yes. I thank you. They were most appreciated! But more importantly-how long have you been dating? How did it happen? Are you the 'in love'?"

"A while now."

Beastboy rolled his eyes at the empath. "Since we got back to Earth, so about a year. U asked, she accepted and yes, she loves and adores me-" Raven nudged him in the ribs with her elbow, making him laugh. "Hey, now that you're here, we can celebrate my 21st birthday tomorrow!" Noting the girls' faces, he waved his left hand, laughing. "I promise-it won't be ANYTHING like Nightwing's 21st bash. But we can all celebrate because BEASTMAN IS NOW LEGAL!"

"We are not calling you that."

"Changeling?"

"That's barely better."

Smiling at her friends as they argued, she waved at them and told them she would see them at her not-so-surprise party as she flew down to the shore of their island. Where could Nightwing be? Apprehension and excitement filled her at the same time. A year. So much had changed. Nightwing might not think of her as anything more than a friend anymore. Maybe a sister if she was lucky. Her feelings certainly had changed-though she wasn't sure into what.

Without a sound, she landed on the rocky shore and began to circle the island. Everything felt so new yet old at the same time. She wasn't sure how to feel…As she was brooding, something caught her eye. Someone was kneeling down, their back toward her. Black hair cut close to the scalp, black shirt, black pants…

"Dick?" She called, unsure of how he would react. The person straightened up and turned toward her. It was Dick. His mask was off, his blue eyes wide in surprise.

"Kori." A small smile lifted his lips as he stood up and began to slowly walk toward her. Like magnetism, Starfire began to drift toward him. She was utterly speechless, her mind drawing a large blank. "I didn't realize you were here already. I was setting up…" He gestured behind him at a picnic basket and blanket spread on the ground. A soft flutter filled Starfire's stomach. _Maybe not everything has changed. _

The two stopped in front of each other, unsure of how to respond. A hug? A kiss? A high five? "Hello Dick." Hello. That was a good place to start. She greeted him with a smile as well. "Is this for me? The party is upstairs with our friends." Suddenly, she noticed a large jar of mustard with a straw sticking out of it. "You remembered my love of the mustard!" She floated over to it and sat down on the blanket. Awkwardly, Nightwing followed suit, sitting on a small corner the farthest away from her.

"Yeah. Your favorite. I remember." Silence enveloped the two. Nightwing began to tap his fingers against his leg as Starfire pierced her lip and looked out at the ocean.

"I missed you-"

"You cut your hair-"

The two spoke at the same time, then awkwardly laughed. Starfire shook her head and smiled as she gestured toward Nightwing to go first. He chuckled as he self-consciously ran a hand through his newly shorn hair.

"Kori, I just wanted to say how much I-we all missed you. And how sorry I am for how things were left between us. I realize…I was wrong to force you to choose between Earth and Tamaran. And I was wrong to not trust you to know what you were doing." Starfire was floored. Nightwing hardly ever admitted when he was wrong-his pride got in the way. Things really had changed. He took a shaky breath and looked at the alien princess in the eye. "I still love you but I decided to see if it was really love or just nostalgia. I even began seeing Barbara…a girl I know through Batman. It didn't last. I know things can't go back to what we had before. But I still love you."

Starfire's brain was in meltdown for the third time today. First Cyborg getting engaged, then Beastboy and Raven-but this-this took the whole birthday cake. Emotions rushed around inside her, like a hurricane blowing the winds left and right. Did she still love him. Of course she did. But he was right-things were different. They couldn't be the same. Plucking up her courage, she looked him in the eye as well. "I cannot deny that things have changed. I feel as if I have lost track of time. A whole year has passed and…I am sorry. I left trying to help my people and leave my problems behind me here on Earth. I went to go find myself… and have lost myself in the process."

Nightwing nodded in acceptance. He must have anticipated her answer. "We both did."

Starfire felt a weight form on top of her heart. This is what she had been dreading the most yet the most excited about. "So what do we do, Dick? How can we continue on? As the friends? The teammates? The lovers?" He looked away from her, gazing at Jump City. The buildings gleamed in the distance. Traffic could be heard over the dull roar of the waves against the shore. The rising rumble of a T-ship filled the air as the Titans East arrived, flying over the city toward the Tower. Anxiety flooded her chest-she had to know before Titans East came or she wouldn't get the chance for a long time.

Starfire bunched her knees against her chest, tapping her fingers anxiously. After a while, he turned back to her, standing up. As he brushed off dirt from his pants, he held a hand out to her. In confusion, she accepted it. He helped her up and immediately let go.

"Guess we start over." He turned to face her, a shy smile on his face. "Hi. I'm Nightwing, Leader of the Titans. Call me Dick. Dick Grayson." He held out his hand for her to shake.

A soft smile formed on her face. _We don't have to continue on. We can start anew and only X'hal knows where it goes. _The weight in her chest slowly began to dissolve. She grasped his hand in hers and gave it a small shake. "Kori'andr. Please, my friends call me Kori."

**That's all, folks! Thank you again for reading my story! I hope you enjoyed it! A quiet ending felt appropriate for this story, between two characters that are trying to figure out who they are apart and together. Hopefully I can get another story going later once inspiration strikes. This story wouldn't have been possible without you guys all reading it and following, commenting, favoriting, critiquing, and most importantly reading! Thank you again, dear readers! **


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